Scars
by xXSunsparkXx
Summary: Sam's cousin Lissa was stabbed across the eye when she was a kid and always felt like the outcast, the ugly one. But when she meets a certain weapon's specialist can she overcome her fears and realize they have more in common than she thinks? IronhidexOC
1. Beginnings

Chapter 1: Beginnings

**A/N: Hey guys, this is my first transformers fanfiction so take it easy on me! This takes place between ROTF and DOTM. It's an IronhidexOC since I don't see many of those anymore. I do NOT own transformers. :p Enjoy!**

In sun-kissed California a young man by the name of Sam Witwicky shifted his feet, eagerly searching the crowded airport. He had just gotten back from Egypt and received a few calls from Detroit, Michigan. His cousin wanted to know if she could spend a year with him since they both graduated from high school and haven't seen each other since they were eleven. They used to be so close. Sam actually lived in Detroit awhile back and living just a few doors down from each other they were inseparable. Doing everything from making mud pies to playing Barbie dolls. But that was before the shooting.

_Sam looked around, frantically searching for his cousin. "Lissa!" He cried. Gunshots could be heard in the distance, and cries coming from the people that were in the line of fire. Sam had gotten separated from her after the shooting started. His parents and aunt and uncle were inside while they played outdoors. Then the first shot was heard, and suddenly his house was bursting with fire. The gang, Crusaders, had bombed three houses on the block. He could hear his mother's screams and his father cry out in agony. The smoke made it hard to see and breathe. Still he crawled around on his hands and knees searching for his cousin, but she was nowhere to be found. "Lissa!" He cried again, coughing as smoke filled his lungs. Suddenly he felt himself being lifted up. Terrified Sam kicked and thrashed out of the person's grip, it was only his mother. _

"_Come on Sam! We need to run!" Judy grabbed his hand and tugged him forward. Sam stayed planted in his spot. _

"_I'm not leaving Lissa!" He cried. All the color drained from Judy's face. _

"_Oh my God. Where's Liss?" _

_The pair separated and searched around the yard, there was no sign of her. Then a blood curdling scram was heard nearby. They both froze, horrified. They knew that voice, it was Lissa. A man's voice was heard a few moments later, her father. _

"_Get away from her!" He yelled, anger etched deep into his voice. _

_It all happened so fast after that. One last gunshot was heard, and Travis fell silent. _

"_No." Judy murmured._

_The police came a short while afterwards. Ron held his brother in his arms. He had sustained a shot to the chest, Travis was dead. Sam and Judy were too numb to do anything after that. Somewhere in the distance they heard that Lissa was taken to the hospital. She had a stab wound to the head. Travis was peeled away from Ron and taken away. Ron stayed there, collapsed on the ground, sobbing his little brother's name. _

Sam shook his head to clear the horrible memory. Shortly after the shooting his parents moved them halfway across the country, trying to seek safety and closure in another place. Lissa and her mother stayed in Michigan to mourn Travis's death. Now, after eight years, he was finally going to face her.

Sam heard his name being called out from somewhere in the crowd. There, in a short black tank top and denim shorts was Lissa. She was striding towards him, purpose in her long steps. When she reached him Sam finally took her in. She was about 5'7", with long, tan, legs and a perfect hourglass figure. She had on black boots coming below her knees, mid-thigh shorts, and a shirt that said "Go Tigers" Her platinum, blonde, hair cascaded down to her waist. But what really struck him was her eyes. He could still lose himself in that sea of emerald green. Even if they were dim now, he was happy to find something about her that hadn't changed. Then he did a double take, they _had _changed. Slashed right across her left eye was an ugly pink scar. So the rumors were true, the man did stab her. Angry tears welled up inside Sam. He didn't have a sister so his brotherly protectiveness always fell on Lissa. He closed his eyes and tried not to picture Lissa tackled to the ground with that horrible excuse of a man on top of her. He was buried so deep in his anger he almost didn't feel Lissa touch his arm.

"Sammy?" She said quietly, concern laced in her voice. "Are you okay?"

Sam opened his eyes and managed a smile. "Yeah Liss I'm fine. I've just missed you so much." He enveloped her in a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight.

After what seemed like an eternity Lissa finally broke the embrace.

"Let's get out of here. I want to see my auntie."

Sam chuckled and led her through the terminal. The two had called each other frequently over the years so Lissa already knew all about the autobots. Sam was glad he told her about them, it would've been hard to keep up the "normal" charade for a whole year. Finally they reached the parking lot. Ironhide had driven him here today, as he was serving as Sam's temporary guardian while Bumblebee went on a scouting mission. The two climbed into the Topkick and the engine started up. Sam cleared his throat.

"Lissa, this is Ironhide, the weapon's specialist of the autobus team. Ironhide this is my cousin Lissa."

The radio crackled before it came to life. "Punkass." He said, addressing her.

Lissa rolled her eyes, she knew his type. "Alien bastard."

A grumbling sound was heard from the radio as the truck drove onto the highway. Ironhide looked the little human over from his rearview mirror. She had a straight posture and a very determined set in her jaw. But he found on very familiar fault, a long, pink scar running through her left eye. Strangely Hide felt a small fleck of empathy towards the female. He knew all too well the looks he got from his own mangled face.

"What happened to your eye?" The gruff question came out before Ironhide thought about what he had just said. But he didn't care, the human's feelings were the least of his concerns.

Sam glared at the truck. If looks could kill, Hide would already be in the grave. Lissa took in a breath. She knew someone would've asked that sooner or later, but it still didn't prepare her for remembering that horrible day. It took a long moment of silence before she could regain her voice.

"Um… a man… stabbed me when I was eleven." She finally mustered.

Ironhide was silent for a minute, thoughtful. "Oh." Was all he replied.

Sam sneaked a peek at his cousin. He could see the anguish and sadness etched in her face from bringing up the ordeal. He was going to have a little chat with Ironhide later.

After fifteen minutes of total silence the trio finally reached the Witwicky household. Lissa quickly grabbed her things and walked briskly into the house. When she was gone Sam thumped the truck's dashboard.

"You just _had _to ask that didn't you?" He growled.

"If you haven't noticed I don't care about the femme's feelings. I wanted to know what happened so I asked. Get over it fleshling." Ironhide growled right back.

Sam rolled his eyes and exited the truck. "Retarded piece of scrap metal." He muttered under his breath.

Ironhide mulled over his actions towards the femme. He knew he shouldn't have said that, but a part of him truly didn't care. He was a war-hardened mech, something as insignificant as a human female's feelings shouldn't bother him, but it did. He felt a sort of kinship with the girl even though he just met her. The feeling was both startling and exciting for the weapon's specialist. He hadn't felt that way about anyone in a long time. Even if she was a human, Ironhide would truly like to get to know her.

A few hours later Ironhide was just about to go into stasis when he heard a sniffling sound. Curious, he activated his holoform and walked into Sam's backyard. It took him a minute to search the area before he found the source. Lissa was sitting on the wooden bench by the fountain. Hide could tell by her slumped shoulders that she was unhappy. Unsure of what to do, he simply walked over to the girl. Once he was in front of her he realized that she was sobbing. This stumped the robot. It occurred to him that he had _no _idea how to give comfort to her in any way. So, he just tried to get her attention.

"Lissa." He stated.

Lissa looked up at the man before her, her eyes were swollen from crying. "W-what? Who are you?" She suddenly realized that this man could be a threat, and backed up across the yard.

Ironhide was not amused by her actions. Slowly putting his hands up he walked towards the girl. "It is me Ironhide."

Lissa stopped for a moment and looked him over. He was big, with bulking biceps and abs shown under his wife beater. He looked to be in his early thirties, and had a military style haircut. But what surprised and shocked her was his eye. He had a scar, uglier than hers even, running across his left eye and down the side of his face. Ironhide caught her looked at it and cleared his throat.

"This is a holoform. It represents our true selves but as a human."

Lissa nodded quickly, unsure of what to do now.

"I… came out here to ask why water was leaking out of you eyes?" Ironhide asked.

Lissa bit back a laugh. Even under the circumstances that was pretty funny, but she decided to keep her guard up just in case. "Why do you care?" She asked.

Ironhide thought about this for a moment. Slag. "I don't. It is getting quite loud and I am trying to go into stasis but I cannot with you sniffling over here!" He barked.

Lissa glared at him. She just met the guy! Why was he being such a dick? "Oh poor you. I can see why you need it, you're being a cranky old bitch who needs a PMS pill!" With that she stomped up to the house, but Ironhide grabbed her arm before she could do so.

"_What _did you just say?" He hissed, neon eyes glaring coldly at her.

Lissa's eyes widened in surprise, she yanked her arm out of his grasp and backed onto the patio. "I… I'm sorry. You… you are such a jerk!" She exploded, and ran inside, slamming the door as she went.

Ironhide almost face palmed, she may be just a human, but that didn't make what he said right. "Slag." He muttered. "Sam is gonna be up my aft about this tomorrow." He glanced up at her window, something was different about that human, and he was going to find out what is was.

**Woo first chapter done! Tomorrow he'll try talking to Lissa, but she's not even gonna look at him. XD Plus Sam's not gonna be too happy. Poor Ironhide. :p Ha not! Tell me what you think? Is this a good idea or should I just stop altogether? A review would be nice. ****J**

**Thanks. **

**~Court**


	2. Compassion

**XxHeartoftheSeaxX: Thanks. ****J Haha yeah, she's gonna stay that way. :D**

**Angi: Thank you J**

**Little Yellow Camaro14: Thanks so much. J Yeah he is. We should see a little bit of that soft side soon. J **

**wolf-shadow666: I'm glad I am loved. XD No I won't "hit" you lol, I thought it was pretty hilarious myself. J**

**Noella50881: Thanks. I hope it lives up to your expectations. J **

**TheUltimateSacrifice: I'm not going to. J Yes it is a 'Hide/Liss story. Will do. J **

**MissShelz: I know right? Hopefully Lissa can help him with that one. :p**

**primesgirl4: Thanks J Here it is. :D **

**Leader Of Lost Destinies: Thanks, sorry that I confused you. :/ Sam called her to vent about the autobots after he met them. She hasn't actually **_**seen **_**one, but she understands enough about them to not freak out. **

**Lunar Mist: Haha yeah. J He's not much of a ladies man is he? **

**A/N: Well, after **_**so **_**many reviews for just one chapter I've decided to keep writing. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. J Enjoy!**

Chapter 2 Compassion

Ironhide was awakened the next day by someone banging on his hood. It was Sam, and he did _not _look happy. "Slag…" 'Hide muttered.

"Yeah you know what you did. You made her _cry_ last night. She told me the whole thing this morning. I don't understand, why can't you be nice to her?" Sam questioned.

Ironhide sighed, this was a great way to start off his day. "I do not know Sam."

Sam slammed his hand on the hood again. "Oh hell no. You are going to apologize to her right now!" With that he stomped into the house to find Lissa.

Apologize? Ironhide has never, ever apologized to anyone before. Why in Primus would he do it now? Still… if he wanted to get to know this human it wouldn't hurt. But that meant he had to say he was sorry. Ironhide groaned, this was going to be harder than he thought.

Sam found Lissa in the guest bedroom with her arms wrapped around her legs, head slumped between her knees. He sighed and looked around the room. She hadn't decorated it yet which surprised him. She used to love changing her room around, always trying new wallpapers and curtains. Sam could leave for a few days and come back to a totally different room. It just occurred to him how different Lissa really was. He didn't even _know _this Lissa, she was like a stranger to him. Sam's heart ached at the thought, he would give anything to have the real Lissa back.

"Lissa?" He said quietly, coming to sit on the bed with her. "Are you okay?"

Lissa looked up at him and tried to smile. "Of course Sammy why wouldn't I be?"

Sam looked deep into her eyes, he knew she was lying. "You know you can tell me anything. You don't have to keep up the act when I'm around. I know you better than that Liss."

Lissa sighed and dropped the smile, tears welled up in her eyes. "What Ironhide said last night, it really bugged me. I mean, does he have any compassion at all? I've never met a guy who was such a jerk!" She threw a pillow at the wall with a grunt.

"Well he may have just a little. Come on, we'll talk about this later. There's a certain someone who wants to apologize to you." Sam grabbed her arm and led her downstairs. Suddenly, Lissa stopped.

"Wait, do you mean _he's _going to apologize?" Her eyes were wide with disbelief.

Sam chuckled, "yes Ironhide is."

Lissa nodded and let Sam pull her outside.

Ironhide spent the time they were inside mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do. A voice from behind interrupted his thoughts.

"Ironhide, I think there's something you need to say to Lissa?" Sam stated and stood in front of him with Lissa in tow.

The truck seemed to sigh, it's whole frame vibrating gently. Ironhide knew what he had to do. "Can… you come with me to a secluded place for a moment? I would like to say this in my real form."

Lissa looked up, surprised. She'd never seen an autobot in it's bipedal form. It scared her, images of little green men popped into her head. What in the world would Ironhide look like?

Sam nodded and the driver's side door opened. Lissa stayed where she was, a little unsure about it. Ironhide noticed this and the radio crackled to life. "Don't worry, I won't bite." He said.

Lissa shifted her feet. Was she _really_ going to go to a secluded area with an alien that she just met that could squash her like a bug? Of course she was. Lissa climbed in and the door shut behind her. The engine roared to life and they backed out of the driveway.

After a half an hour of driving Ironhide stopped in a little meadow. The whole area was surrounded by thick forest so no one could see them. The truck's door opened again and Lissa got out. "You might want to step back." He rumbled. Lissa scrambled towards the edge of the forest when she heard the sound of hydraulics hissing and metal scraping together. Even when the sounds stopped she refused to look at him. Ironhide rolled his optics. "You can turn around now." He said.

Lissa took a deep breath and slowly faced him. _"Oh. My. God." _

He was _huge, _at his full height he was well over twenty feet tall. On his massive shoulders were two photon cannons so big she could probably fit in them. His shiny black metal gleamed in the sunlight, his glowing blue optics stared intently at her, waiting. But Lissa couldn't stop looking at his left eye. Just like his holoform there was a long scar running down the side of his face. "What happened to your eye?" She whispered.

Ironhide shifted his enormous feet. Lissa couldn't believe how human the gesture was. "A decepticon got a hold of me, messed up my face pretty good." He replied.

Tears welled up inside Lissa. She may think this guy is a jerk, but no one deserved that kind of abuse. "I'm sorry." She managed to choke out.

Ironhide become confused, why was she saying she was sorry? It wasn't her fault, not in the least. Plus she has her own injury, _why _did she feel sorry for _him?_ "It's quite alright. But if I may ask, why in the world are you apologizing? You have your own eye injury do you not?"

Lissa laughed softly. "Yeah but that doesn't mean I can't have compassion for someone else."

Ironhide sat down, a very perturbed look gracing his face. "What is this… compassion you speak of?"

Lissa was shocked, he had no idea what compassion was? That was probably why he was such a jerk to her earlier, he doesn't know hoe to express emotions. Lissa bravely walked up to his massive leg. "I can show you." She murmured. Taking a deep breath she wrapped her arms as best she could around the giant mech's foot. Ironhide's optics widened. This little femme, who has hurt just as much as he has, put her own problems aside to comfort him, _him! _Not to mention the vicious things he said to her. How could she put all that aside to try to help him? He didn't understand it. "Is… compassion the helping of others?" He asked curiously.

Lissa laughed and let go of his foot. The metal was warm where her body touched his. "Exactly!"

Ironhide have the Cybertronian equivalent of a small smile. He had no idea why he was letting this human break down the barriers he put up so quickly. Perhaps it was because he liked having someone there to comfort him though he'd never admit it. But honestly, he didn't mind at all, not one bit.

"I brought you here to apologize." He said, looking her in the eyes. "I should not have said that to you. I'm sorry."

Lissa grinned, this guy wasn't so bad after all. "Apology accepted 'Hide. I'm sorry for calling you a cranky old bitch."

A small chuckle erupted form Ironhide's vocal processors. "It's quite alright. Well I'm sure Sam is wondering where you are so let's get back."

As Ironhide transformed Lissa's grin got even wider. "That is so cool!" She squealed.

A bellowing laugh shook the truck. "Come on, let's go, I don't have all day Lissie."

Lissa shook her head at the name and got in the driver's seat. "Can I turn on the radio?" She asked.

"Sure, but I pick."

Lissa's eyes scrunched up, there was no way her got to pick. "Uh no, I asked first so I get to pick." She turned the dial to a rock station. Ironhide was amused by her actions but wasn't going to let her win so easily. The song suddenly changed from _New Divide _to _Faint._

"No way! I love that song!" Lissa thrust the dial back to her station. But Ironhide changed it again just a quickly.

The fighting ensued all the way back to Sam's. They were both getting pretty frustrated by the time they actually reached the house. In the end Ironhide won out by turning off the engine on his song when the stopped in the driveway. Lissa smacked the truck's dashboard and groaned in defeat. A hearty laugh soon followed from the radio. "You can be such an ass sometimes." She muttered.

"Yep."

Lissa rolled her eyes and smiled. "Thanks Ironhide that was actually really fun."

"I had fun as well. Thank you for teaching me the definition of compassion."

"Your welcome. Hey, I was just wondering," Lissa twirled a piece of her hair around her finger, "can I see those cannons sometime? I'd really like to clean them."

"You can clean a cannon?" He asked, surprise shown in his deep voice.

Lissa snickered. "Duh, you can't come from Detroit without being a mechanic. It's in your blood."

If trucks could smile 'Hide would be beaming right now. He _loved_ having his cannons cleaned. They were the things he showed off most when he met new people. "Sure Lissa, that would be great."

Lissa laughed and jumped out of the truck. "Fantastic! See you later 'Hide."

"Goodbye Lissa."

Lissa smiled and walked into the house. Ironhide would never admit it but…

He loved her smile.

**A/N: Bam chapter two FINISHED! In the next chapter Lissa and Ironhide will get to know each other more. Plus she'll clean his cannons. :p Please leave a review to tell me that you think. **

**Thanks. **

**-Court**


	3. Nightmares

**MissShelz: Yeah me too. ****J **

**Noella50881: I hope he will. J Yeah? Well that doesn't make you different from anybody else, you are a person like me and I'm happy that you told me about that, it means a lot to see someone talk about their "disabilities" so openly. I put quotes around disabilities because people should treat you the same, if they don't they need to get punched. L Thanks so much for your review. **

**wolf-shadow666: Lol, yeah. I know I should've thought of that. I guess I'm apart of the 1/3 that thinks otherwise. J I thought it was his left eye because it shows on the movie that it's on his right, so technically it'd be on the left. Thanks for your review. J **

**Roc2Roll: I'm on it! J**

**(No Name): Thanks. J**

**Luna636: Thank you. J I think they are too, hopefully 'Hide doesn't do anything to mess that up! **

**A/N: I've got nothing to say! You're here to read the story not listen to me! Enjoy!**

"Hah I win again!" Lissa cried. She and Sam were having a video game night, complete with popcorn, pop, and comfortable chairs. She'd just beat him for the fifth time at Halo.

Sam threw his controller down. "Whatever." He mumbled. "This game sucks anyways."

"You're just mad 'cause you got beat by a girl." Lissa playfully nudged his shoulder.

Sam couldn't help but smile. This was the Lissa he remembered, taking no nonsense from anyone, but was a happy-go-lucky kind of girl. "What's gotten you in such a good mood?"

Lissa shrugged, "I guess you could day me and 'Hide are friends now."

Sam looked at her in disbelief. "You? Friends? With… _Ironhide?_"

Lissa laughed at his statement. "Yeah. Honestly, he's just an old softie. You've just gotta crack the outer shell."

Sam couldn't believe it. "How is that possible? You've accomplished something in two days that I couldn't do in _two years._"

Lissa thought about this for a moment. "I have no idea Sammy. But hey, I'm going to go to bed. I've got a big day tomorrow." She gave him a hug and walked towards the door.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"Cleaning Ironhide's cannons." She said casually, and walked out of the room. She snickered at what she saw. Sam's eyes were as big as saucers, and his mouth was wide open. "Close your mouth Sam, you'll catch flies." She laughed and walked to her room. Changing into her pj's she looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes had menacing dark circles under them, compliments of the lack of sleep she'd been getting lately. The nightmares were starting again. Ever since the accident she'd had horrible nightmares about her father. His murder played over and over in her mind. Sometimes she saw the face of the man who did it, sometimes it was all just a blur. But it still had the same effect. Lissa would wake up in the middle of the night screaming her lungs out, sometimes calling out for her dad, or yelling no right before the man shot the gun. Sam and his family already knew all about the nightmares, her mother told them before she came, they were still okay with it. Her mom said she couldn't imagine why. She said that sometimes her scrams were so horrible that she had nightmares about them.

Lissa took a deep breath and climbed into bed. She didn't get nightmares last night, but she didn't get much sleep anyways, too terrified to see if they would come. Tonight would be different, she was determined to sleep, even if they did haunt her again.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Lissa screamed, still asleep. "DON'T HURT ME!"

Sam, Ron, and Judy ran into the bedroom and turned on the light. Sam shook his cousin who was thrashing about on the bed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Lissa, LISSA!" He yelled. Lissa opened her eyes and sat up quickly. She looked around the room, he wasn't here, it was all a dream.

"Oh Sammy." She whimpered, and flung her arms around him, sobbing loudly. Sam wrapped his arms around her and looked at his parents. Judy was trying not to cry, and Ron gave her an almost knowing look. They didn't know it was _this _bad. "He… he was trying t-to kill m-me." Lissa cried.

Sam nodded at his parents to leave and squeezed Lissa tight. "Shh, he won't hurt you here. I wouldn't let him touch you if he was."

Lissa shook her head. "No! He was here! Right there in the corner! He, he had the gun, he was going to kill me!" She cried again. "I was so scared Sammy, so, so scared."

Sam rocked her in his arms until her sobbing turned to whimpering. Eventually he got her to go back to sleep. Then he made sure to cover her with the blankets and walked downstairs, there was no way he was going back to bed now. He poured himself a cup of coffee and headed outside. Sitting on the steps he thought about what happened. Lissa looked so scared, like the man she dreamed of was actually there. And her screams, they haunted him just by remembering. Suddenly, an engine started and a familiar voice was heard. "Sam, what is wrong with Lissa?" Sam could detect a note of concern in Ironhide's voice. He sighed and shrugged, "Ever since the shooting that got her that scar and killed her father she's had vivid nightmares. We never knew how bad they really were until we heard her scream." He shuddered at the thought.

"Is she… okay?" 'Hide asked cautiously.

Sam looked up at the truck, Ironhide has _never _asked if anyone was okay, much less a female human. As far as he knew 'Hide was just a gruff, uncaring, and war-hardened robot. But maybe Lissa was right. Sam smirked, he knew just how to mess with him. "Do I hear concern in your voice 'Hide? Do _you _actually _care _about a human?"

The radio spluttered, "Of course not!" He replied gruffly, "I wanted to know simply because if you're not in danger, I'm going back into staisis." With that the engine turned off and was silent again.

Sam chuckled, "Whatever you say 'Hide."

The next morning Lissa woke up with fear in her heart. She'd _never _had a nightmare as bad as the on she had last night. She shivered at the thought. That horrible man was _here, _in her bedroom, she was so sure of it. Shaking her head she got out of bed and got a pair of old jeans and a ratty T-shirt to wear while she cleaned Ironhide's cannons. Then she put her hair in a quick ponytail and ran downstairs. On the kitchen counter she found a not addressed to her. "Lissa, Sam and I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things, call if you need anything. Judy." Lissa shrugged and walked outside.

Ironhide watched the girl as she made her way to Ron's tool shed. He took note of the way she hung her head close to the ground, her eyes filled with sadness. He wanted to help her, but he had no idea how. He heard a few metallic clinks and a muttered "dammit" before she walked out again and came striding towards him, toolbox in hand. "Hey Ironhide." She muttered and hopped into the truck. The engine roared in response.

Ironhide again watched the human the whole way there. She kept her face turned to the window, watching the world pass by. Suddenly the radio turned on and what sounded like someone clearing their throat emitted from the speakers. "You seem distracted."

Lissa sighed and turned towards the windshield, "I suppose I am."

"Is it because of what happened last night?"

Lissa nodded, "Yeah, that was the scariest nightmare I've ever had in my entire life. It just felt so real." A shiver ran down her spine.

"I heard your screams."

"Oh, they were that bad huh? Well… I- I was so scared Ironhide, I thought he was going to kill me."

Lissa started to cry.

"Lissa, don't cry." 'Hide said gently. "I would never let anyone hurt you."

Lissa sniffed and tried to control her tears. "Promise me?"

"I promise."

She smiled weakly and snuggled deeper in the seat. "Thanks." She whispered.

They rode the rest of the way in companionable silence. Ironhide, _still _watching the girl, and Lissa, leaning her head against the window, humming a quiet tune.

At noon they reached the meadow. Lissa grabbed the toolbox and got out, giving Ironhide some space to transform. "Okay, go sit down over there, I need to made sure I have everything."

He nodded and did what she asked. After oiling up her rag she strode up to him. "Hand please." 'Hide lowered his massive hand. After being sure she was situated he raised it and put her on his shoulder. She climbed in and got to work getting all the dirt and grime out of the cannons. For the next hour and a half the two didn't say a word to each other. Ironhide knew Lissa had a lot on her mind so he didn't press for conversation.

"All done." Lissa finally said, wiping her hands on her pants. She climbed out of the left cannon and stood on his shoulder, looking at the jagged scar. Cautiously, she walked up to the side of his face and put her hand out to touch it. "Does that hurt?" She murmured, gently running her hand down the line.

"No. It's actually quite pleasurable." He mumbled. As a soldier, it was always said that you cannot show any emotions in war. All you had to do was defeat the enemy. But sitting here with Lissa petting one of the most sensitive parts of his body, he could almost let go of that mask for awhile. Almost. He has been in the war for too long, he even almost forgot he had any emotions. "Thank you Lissa. That was very kind of you."

Lissa removed her hand from his face and looked him in the optics. "You're very welcome."

Ironhide raised his hand so she could climb on. Lissa sat down and crossed her legs under her and 'Hide moved his hand so she was in front of his face. "Does that scar bother you?" He inquired.

Not breaking his gaze she nodded, "A lot of people give me strange looks, and it's way harder to get a boy to like me this way."

"Why do you need a boy to like you?"

"I don't. But I guess it'd be nice to be loved by someone of the male population." She shrugged.

Ironhide chuckled, "You are. Sam loves you very much."

Lissa rolled her eyes, "No, I mean, other than my family."

"Maybe you are…" He mumbled quietly, but Lissa didn't quite hear him.

"What?"

"Oh nothing, nothing." He spluttered and lowered his hand so Lissa could get down.

"C'mon 'Hide, I've got some things I need to do, let's go."

Ironhide transformed into the Topkick and opened the door. Lissa grabbed the tool box and got in.

While they rolled down the highway the radio turned on. "What exactly is it that you need to do?" He asked.

"I have to go to the track. Tryouts for the community team start next week and I'm hoping to be one of their hurdlers."

Lissa is an athlete? "May I accompany you?" Ironhide asked.

Lissa laughed. "Of course! You were going to be my ride there anyways. Let's just stop at Sam's house really quick so I can change."

"Alright."

**A/N: Ugh, sory for the wait. :p I had a small case of writers block for the past few days. Hope you enjoyed anyway! Give me some feedback? I'd like to know if there are any ways I can improve this story, and if there's anything you like about it. Thanks!**

**~Court. **


	4. More Apologies

Chapter 4: More Apologies

**A/N: Okay. I'm back! I'm so sorry for the long wait. I'm going to be updating frequently from now on. Thanks soo much to all who reviewed. It means a lot! **

**Roc2Roll: I'm working on finding a link. But it's really hard to find a pretty blonde girl with a jagged scar running down her face. Trust me, I've been looking for a MONTH.**

**Phoebe Cosette Grace: Thank you so much. I hope my story lives up to your expectations. ****J **

**MollyDarkheart: Thank you! I'm working on it, my updates should be every other day to every three days from now on. Holidays and school got in the way for awhile.**

**wolf-shadow666: Thank! Yeah, the nightmares are there to help stress the severity of the loss and the haunted feeling Lissa still feels. Hopefully her confidence in herself will grow as the story progresses. **

**Luna636: Thank you! **

**No Name: Yes he did. Well, I suppose that now, at this part of the story, it was just the attraction he felt for her talking. But we do know that he cares.! J **

**MissShelz: Yes they do, and yes he does! J**

**fanmanbookman: I guess we'll see as the story goes on. Thanks for reviewing!**

**FORD B: Thank you.!**

Lissa looked through her drawers for something suitable to wear. She decided on a white Under Armor tank top, short black spandex, and her neon green running shoes. After putting everything on she looked at herself in the mirror. She had a great figure, but she knew that didn't matter once someone saw her face. Lissa stood there for a while, leaning in to get a good look at her eye. She noticed tears start to well up and spill over onto the shiny pink surface. She'd never admit it, but she wished she looked normal a lot of the time. If she didn't have that ugly scar, maybe boys would actually come up and talk to her. As it is one look in her direction and most of them wouldn't even cast a second glance. She wanted so badly to be pretty, and it hurt to think that she never would be.

Sighing, she looked away and walked out of the room. She strided into her bathroom and put her hair into a quick ponytail, careful not to look into the mirror in the process. Once that was done she went downstairs and left a quick note for Sam and Judy telling where she was. A truck's engine rumbled outside, Ironhide must be getting impatient. Lissa rolled her eyes and watched the Topkick from the kitchen window. What she didn't know was that Ironhide could see her too.

Hide' watched the girl with great interest and amusement. He knew what she was doing, she was stalling just to _piss _him off. Lissa propped her chin up with her hand and started drumming her fingers, watching expectantly. The engine growled, he was not dealing with this.

Lissa watched as the driver's side door slammed shut and Ironhide's holoform came striding up the drive. She could tell by the smirk on his face that he was up to something. She squealed and ran to lock the door so he couldn't get in. Just as she did, a loud banging was heard.

"Lissa!" Hide' barked, amusement laced deep in his voice.

Lissa laughed and looked through the little hole in the door. "Who is it?" She sang.

Ironhide rolled his eyes. "The fragging pizza boy, who else?"

Lissa bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. "Oh I'm sorry, you must have the wrong house. I didn't order any pizza."

He banged on the door again. "Lissa open this door right now."

She smirked. "Or what?"

Hide' crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. This girl was starting to get on his nerves. "I'll take the door _down_."

She gasped and narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't dare."

"Trust me. I would." He said.

Lissa shrugged her shoulders and walked away. If he wanted to play this game that was fine with her. "Go ahead." She called out from the living room.

A loud crash emitted from the hallway. Lissa scrambled up and ran into the corridor. Standing in front of her was a huge _tank _of a man and her aunt and uncle's now broken front door. "Really? Do you know how much trouble I'm going to get in for that?" She growled.

Hide' brushed all the loose wood shavings off his clothing. He didn't understand why she was so angry. She said he could, it wasn't his fault. "You said go ahead. So I did." He stated, like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"But I didn't think you meant it!" She cried. "Ugh!" She stomped into the kitchen to grab her bag. "Let's just go." She said as she brushed past him.

Ironhide watched her get into the passenger side. He knew she was angry at him, and for some reason that bothered him. He didn't even know why, and that frustrated him even more. He had no idea why this girl, this _human, _made him feel the way he did. And he just met her! Any time he was around her he felt flustered. Something he had never felt around a femme before. Looking up at Lissa, he noticed how _sad _her eyes looked. She was looking out the passenger side window, so he was sure she didn't realize he was watching her. His spark ached for the girl. He didn't know all the details of what she'd been through, but he knew enough to know that it haunted her. And those _nightmares._ He could still hear her blood curdling scream. Hide' wanted to help her. And he was going to try his best to do whatever he could.

Lissa jumped when she heard the door shut beside her. Ironhide started the engine and backed out of the driveway. Taking his eyes off the road he looked over at her. She had her head cast down, not meeting his eyes. Hide' cleared his throat. "Lissa." He said.

Lissa tilted her head towards him, letting him know she was listening.

"I'm…sorry for breaking the door. It was my fault for thinking you were serious. I'll tell Sam when we get back what happened and fix the door."

Now Lissa looked at him. She was shocked that Ironhide even _spoke_ to her, much less apologize. "No, it's not you're fault. I shouldn't have been so stubborn. You don't have to tell Sam anything, and I'll fix the door. It's fine Ironhide."

Ironhide drove in silence after that. He had no idea what to do at that point. He had apologized to her, but instead of just accepting it she apologized. Lissa rested her head against the window, trying to calm her nerves before tryouts. She starting humming a familiar tune, one that her father used to sing to her when she was a child. She had forgotten the words a long time ago, but she remembered the melody. It always helped settle her down when she was stressed.

Ironhide listened to Lissa's song. There was so much emotion laced into it that he was captivated by the sweet melody. It was so calming, and it gave him a peace that he hadn't felt in a long time. "What is that called?" He asked once she was done.

"Sweet Sunshine." Lissa answered without looking his way.

"It's, quite calming." He stated.

Lissa smiled softly. "I know." She murmured. "My dad used to sing it to me when I was a kid. I forgot the lyrics but the tune stuck with me all these years.

"Do you miss him?" He asked quietly.

Lissa sat back in the seat, and her face scrunched together in agony. "Yes." She whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Ironhide pulled over then. Somehow, another part of him just took over. A softer side, much different from his war-hardened self. He pulled the girl into his arms and let her cry into his chest. Spine-wrenching sobs rolled through her as she let out all the years of hurt and sorrow. She burrowed into him, clutching his shirt in her hands. Ironhide just held her, running his fingers through her hair and down her back in an effort to soothe her.

They stayed like that for a long time, until Lissa had no more tears to shed. She looked up at him with bleary eyes, "Sorry." She whispered, and moved back over to the passenger seat. Hide' put a hand under her chin and turned her head back towards him. "Why are you sorry?" He asked. "You've been through a lot Lissa." He ran a finger down the scar.

She blinked at him and looked away. "I try not to show it in front of everyone. But sometimes I just miss him so much. I'm just sorry that you had to deal with that Ironhide, I know you probably weren't comfortable-"

He cut her off, "You needed someone. Don't worry about me or what I'm comfortable with. I know what you've been through."

Lissa giggled a little and tried to make light of the situation, she ran her own finger down his jagged scar. "I guess we're scar buddies." She said.

Ironhide smirked and got the truck back on the road. "Perhaps. Now, you need to get to your tryouts, you think you're okay enough to do this?"

Lissa nodded. "Let's show em' how Detroit girls do it."

**A/N: Sorry for any grammar mistakes. I just want you guys to know that this will NOT become one of those total fluff stories. There's an underlying storyline that involves Lissa and the secrets behind her father's death. But this ****is**** an Ironhide/OC story, so I have to put fluff in here and there. The next chapter will involve her tryouts and a little more information about her nightmares. Thank you so much for reading, and as always REVIEW! They make me write faster. J **

**~Court**


	5. Realizations

**A/N: Thanks ****so**** much to all who reviewed. Enjoy. **

Ironhide and Lissa arrived at the track with only moments to spare. The last runner was just warming up. Lissa jumped out of the truck as soon as it went into park, sprinting towards the head coach. Ironhide stayed behind. Unsure if Lissa wanted him there. He could see her talking to the male human, the man nodded at her and she headed towards the hurdles, getting into her stretches. Hide' couldn't help but be fascinated by the way she moved. He could see her well-toned muscles as she went into pose after pose. He was glad he hadn't activated the holoform, she might've noticed him staring at her.

Once Lissa finished her stretching she headed around the track for a quick warm-up lap. Her muscles moved fluidly as she ran, years and years or practice and hard work earned that for her. So used to it she was that once she was done she wasn't the least bit winded. She jumped up and down, preparing herself for her race. The head coach finished with the sprinter before her and headed her way, stopwatch in hand.

"All right. Whenever you're ready." He said.

Lissa walked over to the blocks at the 200 meter starting line. She made sure her spikes were in place and got into the block. Her heart pumped fast and hard as she anxiously waited for the coach to shoot the gun. Ironhide watched in curiosity at what she was about to do.

All was quiet for those few slow seconds. Lissa took a deep breath, and the gun was fired. Lissa burst out of her block at lightning speed, sprinting with all her might towards the first hurdle. She cleared it fluidly and keep going, her eyes on the prize. Another hurdle was cleared, and she headed into the home stretch.

Ironhide couldn't believe what he was seeing. This girl was running so _fast _clearing the hurdles in what looked like one move. He almost laughed when he saw the coaches face. He was just about as amazed as he was.

With one last burst of energy, Lissa cleared the last hurdle and ran to the finish line. She stopped and bent over, panting heavily. The coach jogged over and showed her the time, his eyes filled with excitement.

"You, my dear, are my new superstar."

Lissa blinked at him in astonishment. "Really?"

"Yeah! Hello? Do you _see_ your time? You could make it to the Olympics with speed like that! Welcome to the Bluestars!" He shook her hand vigorously and got a uniform out. "Here, you're gonna need this, oh and first practice is on June 5th. We'll get you all the information you need then. Don't be late!" With that he shook her hand one more time and walked away. Once he was gone Lissa squealed with joy. She actually made the team!

Grabbing her things she skipped over to Ironhide, still smiling happily. Something sounding like a chuckle reverberated from the engine. "So I guess you made the team?" He asked.

Lissa jumped up in down, doing a little dance. "Yeah I did! I'm so happy!"

Hide' laughed, amused by her antics. "You did very well. For a human."

Lissa slapped the hood playfully and got in. "I did amazing and you know it!"

"Well…" He mumbled, turning on the radio to try to change the subject.

"Just say it." She exclaimed.

"No." He said bluntly.

"Say it." She sang.

"No!" He yelled through the speakers.

Lissa's eyes widened and she burrowed herself deeply into the seat. A look of terror written on her face. Ironhide saw this and tried to calm her down, playing soft music from the radio and massaging her shoulders through the seat. He had forgotten how unstable she was mentally, him yelling at her must've triggered something from that night.

"Lissa, Lissa I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. You did great, it surprised me how fast a young female could run. I was being difficult, I'm sorry."

Lissa relaxed a little and patted the dashboard. She had to admit, him yelling at her had terrified her, and she didn't know why. Even so she didn't want Ironhide to worry about it. "It's okay Hide'. You just startled me that's all. With all this apologizing you've been doing I'm starting to wonder if you like me or something." She giggled playfully.

"You can't be ridiculous. I-no-I-there's-" He spluttered, but Lissa cut him off.

"I'm just joking Hide' jeez. I didn't know that would repulse you so much. But I have to admit your reaction was hilarious." Lissa said slyly.

The truth was that, that didn't repulse Ironhide. Having a femme like Lissa by his side would be great. Hide' tried to clear his head of the thought. He couldn't bring Lissa into this war. She'd been through enough as it is. And yet… maybe he could at least tell her that he wasn't repulsed by the idea.

"Lissie, I am not revolted by your thinking, you just caught me off guard, that's all." He said calmly.

Lissa sat up and looked out the window, trying not to show how red her face was getting. Was this _robot_ actually _hitting_ on her? There was only one way to find out.

She took a deep breath. "So, like, you mean, like a friend, right? You like me as a friend?"

Ironhide could see that this was going downhill fast. "Yeah, like, like a friend." He said quickly.

Lissa exhaled and smiled into the rearview mirror. "I like you too Hide'."

They rode the rest of the way home in awkward silence. Ironhide contemplated why his feelings were not returned. He knew that humans took a lot more time to "fall in love" as they say here on Earth. But he didn't know how to show Lissa his quality as "boyfriend material." He found out that, that's what they called the male in courting. Hide' stopped and went over what he was thinking. He actually _liked _this human! The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Somehow, somewhere in the past few days that they've been spending together he became attracted to this femme.

He looked through the rearview mirror at the girl staring out his driver's side window. There just has to be a way to show her how much he cared, and if there was, Ironhide was determined to find it.

**A/N: Chapter five is finished. It took a little longer to get it online than I thought it would but I've been a little busy. My friend was hit by a car a few days ago, he died instantly. So I hope this chapter was okay for you guys, I really tried my best under the circumstances. **

**~Court**


	6. Importance

**A/N: First off, I'd like to say a big ****thank you**** to all who sent their condolences regarding the loss of my friend. It means ****so**** much to me that people I've never met before, but are interested in my story, would try to comfort me. I almost cried when I saw all the reviews you guys left. Thank you sooo much. You guys are the best and I love you all. Enjoy. **

It was that time of night again, and Lissa was absolutely _dreading_ it. She wanted, with every fiber of her being, not to have to go to sleep. But, since she was human, she had to sleep sometime. "Get yourself together Lissa." She said to herself in the mirror. "They're only dreams."

She was right, they were only dreams, but they scared her more than anything. Some of them, especially the one she had last night, felt so _real_. She did _not_ want another one of those ever again.

It was midnight, Sam went to bed two hours ago. And his parents still weren't home. Lissa was alone in the house, and that didn't help her already frazzled nerves one bit. She climbed into bed, keeping her lamp on for comfort, learning a long time ago that darkness didn't help either. Tossing and turning, she finally fell into a fitful sleep.

Lissa gasped and sat up, her whole body covered in a cold sweat. She grabbed her cell phone with shaking hands, checking the time. 3:00 a.m. the digital screen read. She wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her head on her knees, thinking back to the nightmare she had. It was just like the one she had last night, except the man had blood running down his face and she woke herself up before the bad part. She thanked God for that.

Knowing that she wasn't going to get anymore sleep tonight she got up and looked out her bedroom window. Ironhide was parked in the driveway, Sam's parent's car sitting right beside him. Lissa decided that a little fresh air might calm her. Grabbing her jacket, she tiptoed downstairs and into the mild summer night. She walked over to Ironhide wondering if he was asleep. He didn't make a sound as she approached so she assumed that he was. She sighed and headed to her usual spot by the fountain, not wanting to wake him over a silly dream. Putting her head in her hands she rocked back and forth, humming the familiar tune to soothe herself. She didn't know why she had these nightmares, she didn't know why her father's death still haunted her, and she really didn't know why they felt so real. Now, more than anything, she wished she was normal. A small tear escaped from the corner of her eye and she quickly wiped it away, tired of crying over something that _wasn't_ real. "Dad, if you're listening, I just want you to know that I miss you. Sometimes I wish you hadn't saved me that day, so I wouldn't have had to suffer through all this. It's so hard Dad, and I try to be strong, but sometimes, I just _can't do this._" A few more tears ran down her cheek. "It's so hard, waking up and looking in the mirror to find that you're not _normal._ So hard to see all these beautiful girls with their flawless faces getting attention from boys when I don't get any. Right now I really wish I died instead of you, maybe then it wouldn't hurt _so_ much. I saw you die, and that image is engraved in my mind forever. I look at little kids and wonder what they'd do if their dad died right before their eyes, and died gruesomely. Wonder what it'd be like to feel innocent. Because after that happened, I didn't feel like a child anymore. No child should have to _see_ that, but I did." She sighed, "I know I sound crazy right now, talking to the night. But sometimes I just need a way to vent. I hope that wherever you are, that you're happy and that you remember me. I love you Dad." Then she let herself break down into sobs, letting them consume her once again.

Ironhide listened through the whole thing, he _was_ awake. He did to be sure that he could comfort Lissa if she had he nightmares again. Obviously when she walked towards him she did, and he wanted to talk to her about it, but something inside him told him not to, and to just leave her be. His spark broke for the young woman, she had been through so much. Even he hadn't had to go through what she had. Sure he'd seen a few comrades die in the war, and innocent beings slaughtered, but he _never_ saw something like _that._ Listening to her sounding so _shattered._ It made him want to find whoever did that to her, and rip him to shreds.

Mulling over his thoughts he almost didn't hear the soft snoring coming from the backyard. Lissa must've cried herself to sleep. Activating the holoform he climbed out of his alt form and crept into the yard. Just as he assumed Lissa was fast asleep, but her face wasn't _peaceful_, it looked scared and, _haunted. _He caressed her tearstained cheek with his large hand and carefully took her in his arms. He carried her back to his alt form, having no intention to leave her alone while she slept. He grabbed a large blanket from under his seat that he always kept handy and laid Lissa down on the leather. Then wrapped the blanket around her, making sure she was warm. After she looked comfortable enough he dismissed the holoform and turned on the heater, playing soft jazz in the background. She needed sleep, he could tell by the dark circles under her eyes. He just hoped that for once she could sleep peacefully.

Later that morning Lissa woke to the smell of leather and metal. She took in her surroundings, she wasn't on the bench as she thought she was, but in Ironhide. He must've carried her here earlier. "Good morning Lissie." A voice from the radio said softly.

She ran a hand through her hair and patted the steering wheel, "Morning Hide'."

She sounded much more refreshed than usual, maybe she didn't have anymore nightmares last night. "How did you sleep?" He asked cautiously.

"Actually, I slept great." She sounded a little confused.

"I carried you in here at about 4:17, you fell asleep on the bench over there."

Lissa wondered if he heard her talking, silently hoping that he didn't. "Oh, well you didn't have to put me here, you could've taken me back to my room-"

"I wasn't about to leave you alone after I heard what you said. Lissa, you shouldn't say that you would have rather died that night. If you did, I wouldn't have met you, Sam, well Sam would've been heartbroken, and your father would be thinking the same thing you are. He loved you so much, that he gave his _life_ to protect you. Doesn't that mean something to you?"

She sighed and leaned her head against the wheel. "It means everything, he's the reason that I get up everyday. The reason I try to smile, because I know he would want me to try, no matter what the circumstances. I just…miss him, so much Ironhide and sometimes I think that, you know, he would've done more good being here still, than I do..."

He could hear the choked emotion in her voice, she needed to know how _important _she was.

Suddenly, an electric fizzling sound was heard, and Ironhide's holoform sat in the driver's seat, eyes blazing. "You mean _everything_, to Sam. You impact lives here on Earth every day. People look at you, and they see everything that you've been through, and they are awestruck because you're still _smiling._ You amaze them. I saw it yesterday at the track, a few younger humans were talking about you. So don't say that you're worthless, just by _living_ you change people's lives."

Lissa sat there, taking in his words. She'd never thought of her scar, and the things she's been through in that way before. And he was _right._ Sure she didn't get guys asking for her number wherever she went, but she impacted people's lives whenever they saw her.

A small smile erupted into a big grin on her face. "Ironhide, I think you should be a psychiatrist."

Quickly looking up the word online he chuckled. "I'd rather be a weapons specialist."

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever old man, maybe I should stop hanging out with you so much, I could probably save the world."

This made Ironhide shake with laughter, "You probably could Lissie, but try to find some other time to do it, I enjoy the time we spend together. It's nice not to have to be a soldier all the time."

A small tinge of red graced Lissa's cheeks which made Hide' laugh even _more._ Even so, she just smiled and let him laugh, it was something he probably hadn't done in a long time. She was happy to know she helped him too, and it wasn't just him having to comfort her every time she had a major breakdown. An idea came to mind, "Hey Hide', want to go somewhere tonight? Me, you and Sam could go to a movie or something."

He stopped laughing and put an arm around her shoulders, "Sure Lissie, but it _has_ to have _lots_ of action in it or I'm not going."

She giggled, "Fine, what about… Mission Impossible?"

His processors looked up the title, it looked like fun, lots of guns and fighting. Plus, Lissa would be with him. Trying to play it cool he just said, "Sure."


	7. Secrets Revealed

"C'mon Lissa we're gonna be late for the movie!" Sam's voice floated through the door of the bathroom. Lissa was trying to finish straightening her hair, which wasn't working for her today.

"Go wait with Hide'! I'll be there in a minute!"

Honestly, men could be frustrating sometimes.

After getting her hair as straight as it was going to be, she quickly grabbed her purse and headed out. "Jeez Lissie, how long does it take to get ready?" Ironhide said impatiently.

Lissa rolled her eyes and hopped in, "You're not a girl Hide', you just wouldn't understand."

"You got that right." Sam mumbled.

Ironhide took in the girl's appearance. It was amazing how a change of clothes and a different hairstyle could make a human look so _different. _He was so entranced by her appearance, that he didn't realize he was driving off the road. "Hide'!" Lissa cried, they were about to crash into a tree. Ironhide swerved just in time, getting back on the road. He panted heavily, "Lissa, are you alright?"

Lissa let go of her death grip on Sam, trying to gain her composure. What the heck just happened? "I'm fine, what happened to you back there? You just, started driving off the road. Are you okay?"

He wanted to hit himself right now. He just endangered not only his life, but Sam's and _Lissa's._ "Fine. I just, got a little…distracted."

"Well try not to kill us next time that happens okay?" Sam croaked breathlessly.

"I'm sorry Sam."

Sam sat up, looking at him confusedly. "Wait, did you just _apologize?_"

Lissa snickered, Hide' must really be a jerk when she's not around. Wait, did she just think that?

"Yeah, got a problem with it?" Ironhide snapped.

Or maybe he can be a jerk when she's around too.

"Hide' c'mon, we're all just going out to have fun. He was just a little surprised, that's all." She put her hand on the dashboard.

Ironhide visibly relaxed under her touch, which led Sam to wonder what was going on between them. A sly grin stretched across his face, this was going to be so much fun. "So Ironhide, what do you think of Lissa?"

The question caught Ironhide off guard, "W-what do you mean?" He stuttered.

Sam put his hands behind his head, totally loving how flustered Hide' was getting. "Well, do you like her?"

"I-I she's-well I-"

Checkmate.

Lissa tried her best not to blush. So her assumptions were right. He _did_ like her. Honestly, she didn't know how she felt about that. I mean, they just met! And he was a robot for crying out loud! And yet…she couldn't hide the way her heart fluttered when she was around him, or how it was hard to breathe when he fixed her with his electric blue gaze. Her emotions were running rampant right now, she didn't know what to do. Her head told her to forget about it, it would never work out.

But her heart said give him a chance.

Sam's rowdy laughter interrupted her thoughts. She could tell he was making Ironhide mad. She kicked him in the shin to get him to stop, glaring angrily. Sam became quiet quickly, getting the message. "Sorry Hide'. I kinda figured you did just by the way you acted around her. If you want to secretly crush on somebody, you need to make it a little more inconspicuous."

Ironhide growled and glanced at Lissa through the mirror. She looked to be deep in thought. If he could he'd probably be clobbering Sam right now, he might've crushed whatever chance he had with her. He sighed internally, who was he kidding? A girl like Lissa would never want to be with an alien robot. But, he still hoped in vain that she'd give him a chance.

The rest of the ride to the theatre was in silence. No one could figure out what to say. Sam felt bad for bringing the whole thing up, but Lissa had truly changed Ironhide. He'd encountered some of the exchanges they had, and saw a side of Hide' that he'd never seen before. A side where he was funny, caring, and most of all _happy._ Lissa probably didn't even know how much power she held over the guy. Said guy being a _28 foot tall alien robot. _And Lissa, the dull sadness in her eyes was lightening up a little more each day. Sam knew what he had to do, he had to get these two together.

Once they parked in the lot Ironhide created the holoform so he could go inside. Lissa had to admit he looked good, with a pure white button down shirt with rolled up sleeves showing his muscular arms. His hair looked a little different too, it wasn't as short and it looked like it was combed to the side a little, giving him that cute 'messy hair' look.

Sam made sure Lissa sat by Ironhide when they took their seats in the theatre. Hide' couldn't eat human food so just him and Lissa shared a small bag of popcorn.

Ironhide really got into the movie, loving all the violence and how he wasn't any part of it. He was so engrossed in the movie that he almost jumped when he felt something heavy lay on his shoulder. He smiled a little when he saw what it was, Lissa must not be one for action movies, because she fell asleep on his shoulder. Hide' wrapped his arm around her shoulders to make her more comfortable then turned his attention back to the movie. Sam watched the exchange, grinning widely. This was gonna be easier than he thought.

Lissa woke up to someone taking her in their arms. She rubbed her eyes and looked to see who was carrying her. "Morning sleepyhead." Ironhide rumbled.

"Oh hey Hide'. I must've fallen asleep didn't I?" She blushed a little in embarrassment.

He chuckled, "Yeah you did. Was it really that boring for you? I loved it."

She smiled and yawned, "No, I'm just really tired. I'm glad you liked it though."

He became a little concerned, "Do you want me to take you home? We don't have to go to the skating rink."

She shook her head, "No after the nap I'm fine. Besides, you need to learn what we humans do for fun."

"Yeah and fall flat on your face." Sam chimed in.

Lissa rolled her eyes and put a hand on his arm, "Don't worry, I'll help you."

Hide' set her in his alt form and crossed his arms, puffing out his chest. He never liked looking weak in front of other people, it was in his nature. "I'm sure I can handle it."

She smirked, knowing, as inexperienced she was, what he was doing. "Well okay, if you say so."

Sam almost got a black eye when he broke down laughing the first "

time Ironhide fell. Lissa skated over to him, concerned, "You okay?"

He grunted and stood up, trying to regain his balance, "Fine."

She took his arm and tried to lead him around the rink but he snatched it away. "Stop trying to help me Lissa!" He barked.

Tears welled up in her eyes, she pushed him away and walked quickly out of the building. All eyes turned to Ironhide who was looking down at the ground, ashamed at what he said. Sam skated over to him, "Good going Hide', you know she's sensitive when people yell at her!"

He sighed and took off his skates, jogging off to find Lissa.

Lissa tried to control her tears as she walked down the dark alleyway. She hated feeling so _weak!_ Every time someone yelled at her, no matter what reason, triggered something in her mind that terrified her beyond explanation. She was so caught up in her anger that she didn't notice the figure slinking up behind her, until it was too late. Suddenly she was slammed into the wall, a strong hand holding her by the neck. "Hello beautiful." A deep voice crooned, "How about you come with me so we can have some fun together."

Lissa tried to scream, which only led to the man holding her tighter crushing her airways. His other hand roamed up and down her body. She tried to push him away, but her tears blurred her vision. He suddenly pushed her down on the ground, pinning her arms behind her head. "You're a squirmy one aren't you? No matter, I'll just do what I want here then. Don't worry sweetie, it'll only hurt for a minute."

He unzipped his pants, then tried to do the same for her. During that time he made one grave mistake, he took both hands off her throat, causing her airways to open up again.

Lissa gave a blood curdling scream.

**A/N: MAJOR cliffhanger! Don't worry my dear readers, the next chapter will be up as soon as possible. But until then, I wonder if Ironhide will find her in time. Of course, I already know, but you'll just have to find out. I love your reviews, please leave one on your way out!**


	8. Promising Protection

**A/N: After getting so ****many**** amazing reviews, I decided 'what the heck' I have a little free time anyways! So here you guys go! A shiny new chapter to end your day. "Depending on what time zone you're in." I hope you all enjoy! I love writing this story as much as you guys love reading it!**

Ironhide sprinted towards the alley behind the skating rink, that was Lissa's scream! Unimaginable rage built up inside him when he took in the scene. That _sick bastard _was trying to _rape_ HIS Lissa! His anger took over then, something inside his head just snapped. He ran over to the man pinning her down and took him by the throat. He then _threw _him into the brick wall at the end of the alley. He still had all the strength that he possessed in his bipedal form, so the man hit the wall much harder than he would've if Hide' was just a regular person.

Which he wasn't.

Once the man fell to the ground Hide' picked him up by the throat again and rammed his head back against the wall. Blind fury raging in his eyes. "If you _ever _touch her again I'll _kill _you. I'll rip each one of your puny insect limbs off one by one. You will _not _come near her, and you especially will not disrespect her personal space like that _ever_ again. Got me?" He tightened his hold on his neck as confirmation.

The man, terrified out of his wits and almost unconscious managed a small nod under Ironhide's choke hold. Taking that as an answer he released him, telling him to get the hell out of there. Once he was gone Ironhide ran to Lissa, who was sobbing uncontrollably, and took her in his arms. All anger leaving his body once he held her again. He rocked her back and forth and whispered comfort into her ear, "I'm here, he won't touch you again, I'm here." She still sobbed, clutching her throat as she did. Confused, Ironhide moved her hands, wondering what she was getting at. He gasped at what he saw, the man was holding her tighter than he thought. There were two distinct bruises in the shape of hands developing around her neck. He pulled her sleeves up, looking for more bruises and sure enough there were two more hand marks, one on each arm. And then her _waist_, both of her hips were discolored and turning a dark black. His eyes narrowed into furious slits, that man had _hurt _her. It took every ounce of his strength to restrain himself from hunting him down and killing him anyways. But he couldn't leave Lissa. After holding her there for what felt like hours she finally quieted down to small whimpers. Hide' carried her to his alt form as quick as he could. Sam saw him coming and ran over looking very worried. "What happened?" He asked.

Strapping Lissa in as carefully as he could, he merely glanced at Sam, but that said enough. "No…" He murmured.

Ironhide moved her shirt up, showing him the bruises. "We need to get her to a hospital right now, I think she needs medical help. Sam?"

Sam just stood there, frozen, a horrified look on his face. He'd seen Lissa in almost the exact same state before. Flashback haunted his memory, of her screaming, all the nightmares, and looking at his cousins broken form being hauled away into an ambulance. A single tear ran down his cheek, but he made no move to wipe it away.

Just as the first time, the rest of the day was a blur to him. He could vaguely remember Ironhide dragging him into his alt form and speeding off to the nearest hospital, and his parent's worried faces. At this point he was sitting in a uncomfortable chair in the waiting room, staring blankly at the wall. His parents sat next to him grasping each other's hands for comfort. Surprisingly, the doctors let Ironhide in the room while they checked her out. Maybe it was his intimidating presence, or his need to be with her, Sam would never know. So many thoughts were running through his head during their wait, but there was one vicious thing that kept coming back to him, his resolve to do it becoming stronger and stronger with each passing minute.

He was going to find who did this to his Lissa.

Lissa started moving around a little, finally coming to after the nurses had anesthetized her so they could check out her airways. She vaguely felt something firm and strong clasping her hand and something else caressing her cheek. She groaned a little then opened both eyes, blinking a few times trying to rid the blurriness. When her vision became clear again she saw Ironhide sitting next to her hospital bed, he was clasping her hand in his and caressing her cheek. She looked into his burning eyes and saw a handful of emotions. Pain, regret, sorrow, relief, and even a little fear. She moved her hand to put it over his rubbing little circles into the calloused skin. "Hey." She croaked.

He sighed and squeezed her hand, "Hey Lissie."

She tried to smile at the nickname, but it hurt too much. "How are you?"

Hide' rumbled a little, anger flashing in his eyes, "How can you ask that Lissa, you…he could've killed you." He growled at the thought.

"I know that, but you didn't let him, did you?"

A determined look came across his face, "No, and I will never let _anyone_ hurt you like that again."

"Thank you." She whispered.

Hide' looked away, "Don't say that." He murmured.

Lissa looked at him as if he was crazy. "Why not? If you didn't save me-"

"If I hadn't upset you in the first place you wouldn't be here. If I hadn't let you run out of that skating rink, that man wouldn't have done those horrible things to you."

She could tell he was upset. In an attempt to calm him she moved one shaking hand up to his scar, tracing it from top to bottom repeatedly. The action did relax him some, but that look wouldn't leave his eyes.

He took a deep breath, "Lissa, I am so, so sorry I yelled at you like that. Sometimes, I just cannot control my temper. I know that doesn't excuse what I've done but-"

She moved a finger to his lips, "You don't need to be sorry. Nobody's perfect Hide', and that includes me. These things happen, and sometimes, as much as you'd like to change it, that's just the way life goes. So it's okay, and besides, I've been through much worse."

It was true, she had. But it made him feel bad that she had to go through this too. He was amazed by how strong she truly was, taking this like it was nothing, and smiling all the same. His spark hummed with affection as he stared at the broken and battered girl. All her traits seemed to bring him in, her strength, her determination, her compassion, and her beauty. Ironhide swore to himself that he would not fall in love during this war, it was too dangerous. But…

He didn't mind falling in love with Lissa one bit.

A long yawn interrupted his thoughts, Lissa rubbed her eyes with her hand. A fond smile graced Ironhide's face, "You getting tired Lissie?"

Another yawn, "Yeah. Is it okay if I just, rest for a little while?"

He rolled his eyes, wondering why she even had to ask him that, "Of course. Do you, need me to stay in here with you?" She contemplated this for a moment, "No, can you go let Sam know I'm okay? He looked pretty shook up when we got here."

He nodded and smiled down at her once again. Giving her one last glance before he walked towards the door. "Wait." Her meek voice called out from behind. He turned towards her, a little confused. She motioned for him to come closer with her hand. Once he was at her bedside she moved closer to him, "Can you, lean down a little?"

He had no idea what she planned on doing, but did it anyways.

Trying not to blush she took his cheek with one hand, tilting his head slowly to the side. She leaned closer to him, pausing to get her bearings, then left a sweet and slow kiss on his cheek.

Ironhide felt something warm and soft on his cheekbone. In his peripheral vision he saw Lissa leaned towards him and quickly realized what she was doing.

She was kissing him on the cheek.

Even the small gesture was enough to make Hide' blush a deep blue. She let go of him and laid down again, trying to control her own raging blush. "Thanks again." She whispered.

He smiled slightly, leaning towards her again. This time he left a chaste but sweet kiss on her forehead before quietly walking out of the room.

Lissa fell asleep almost immediately after that. She felt a deep comfort, something she hadn't felt in a _long_ time. It felt good to know that there was someone out there who cared about her. Even if he was a 28 foot tall robot, he gave her a look that no other man gave her before. And that kiss, it spoke of fondness and protection on a level that not many could understand.

Maybe, just maybe, she would give him a chance.

**A/N: Awww, just…AWWW! I loved writing this chapter! It showed that Lissa and Ironhide were still in the early stages in their relationship, but that it was deepening more everyday. I hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I did, if you did, please tell me! I want to make this story the best it can be.**

**As always,**

**~Courtney**


	9. Confessions

**A/N: I'm honestly proud of how this story is turning out. When I first wrote it, I thought, "Nobody's gonna like it." But I guess I thought wrong. Before I let you guys read I'd like to say another big thank you to all who have read my story and spared a minute to tell me what you thought. I've gotten so much encouragement with this and it makes me want to update whenever I can so you guys can read more. I think I'm going to try and update everyday from now on.! Enjoy!**

**Note: If any of you are interested in reading a Megatron/OC romance story, I just posted the first chapter yesterday, it's called His Little Flower. Be sure to check it out!**

Sam looked up as he heard someone come out of Lissa's room. Ironhide walked towards him, looking a little blue in the face. Sam stood up quickly, pulling the mech aside. "Is she…okay?" He asked quietly.

"Yes Sam, she's going to be fine. Her doctor said that she was to be discharged tomorrow, but we need to let her rest now."

A sigh of relief escaped Sam's lips. His cousin was going to be alright, physically. A worse problem came to mind, "How is she…mentally?"

Hide' stared down at the young man, noting the terrified fear in his eyes. "She's fine, still smiling."

Sam looked at him in disbelief, "She's still smiling after, after _that?_"

He nodded, "Yes, your cousin is a strong girl, she's been through much worse."

The raging anger built up inside Sam again, and the urge to find the man who did it came rushing back into his head, "Ironhide." He hissed, "I need you to help me find the man that did that to her. He is going to _pay_ for this."

Hide' saw the fierce determination in his face, he wanted that man dead, just as he did. But he knew better than Sam did, and that would only cause more trouble. "Sam, would Lissa want you to be a _murderer?_"

Sam thought about this for a moment, then drooped his head. He knew Ironhide had a point, Lissa would be horrified if she found out that he did that. Heck, he wouldn't be much better than the man that killed her father. "You're right, but I'm just so _angry. _I don't understand _why_ that had to happen to Lissa of all people! She's already been through enough!"

"I know Sam. I am too, it took all of my self control not to kill that insect right on the spot. But, I knew that Lissa wouldn't want that of me either, so I didn't. You need to understand that yes, she has been through a lot. But it has made her strong in ways that many people cannot even fathom. She sent me out here because she was worried about _you._ She asked me to tell you that she was okay, and not to worry."

Sam sat down and put his head in his hands, "So, you're telling me that Lissa, who is the one in the hospital bed beat up and in pain, is worried about _me?_"

Hide' chuckled a little at his reaction, "Yes, your cousin has a lot of love for you."

Sam knew that, and he loved her just as much. But he also wondered if a certain mech loved her too. The question that he was trying to figure out earlier suddenly came to mind. He snapped up and looked Hide' in the eyes. "Ironhide, I need to know. Do you…love her?"

Hide' turned away, unsure of how to approach this. "I am…attracted to her, yes."

"I knew that, but do you like, like her like her?"

He sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to let this slide. "Yes, I like her like her. She's…the most amazing femme I've ever met. Does that answer your question?"

Sam smiled widely, "I _knew _it!" He jumped up and danced around in circles, getting weird looks from all the other people in the waiting room. "Hide' has a crush on Lissa Hide' has a crush on Lissa!"

Ironhide flushed a little and grabbed Sam, putting a hand over his mouth to shut him up. "You're _lucky_ your parents aren't in here! And that there are people watching, if there weren't I'd have my cannons on you so fast, you'd be dead right on the spot!"

Sam just stood there, his muffled laughter emanating from Hide's large hand. He pushed it away and sat down again. "Aw c'mon Hide', I'm just messing with ya. I knew that my parents weren't in here, that's why I did it. I'm sure my dad wouldn't take to kindly to an alien robot falling in love with his niece. But that doesn't matter, the real question is, what does _she_ think of _you."_

Ironhide's cheek tingled as a reminder as to what transpired between them in the hospital room. He decided not to tell Sam about it, in fear that he would embarrass him even _more._ That question did intrigue him though, as he was wondering the same thing himself. "I don't know Sam."

Sam waved it off, "Don't worry, I'll talk to her. I know her better than anybody-"

"No," He cut in firmly, "I'd rather do it myself. There's less of a chance of miscommunication that way. Do not approach her about it."

"Alright if you're so sure."

Lissa awakened again in the middle of the night. This time, not because of nightmares, but because of the throbbing pain she felt in her sides. There wasn't a nurse in the room, and they didn't leave her one of those emergency buttons, so she decided to find one herself. She swung both legs over the side of the bed, hissing in pain at the movement. 'C'mon Lissa." She said to herself, "You can do this." Slowly, she put both feet on the ground and tried to stand. She was a little wobbly at first, but was surprised to see that she could stand properly. Squealing a little in delight, she tried to take a step, and failed miserably. '_Walking is a whole other story.' _Regaining her balance she hung on to the bed, shuffling her feet forward.

It took her five minutes to get to the other side of the room. "Damn drugs." She muttered under her breath. Quietly opening the door she peered outside. Two people sat in the plastic chairs in the waiting room. One was Sam, who was sleeping peacefully, and the other was Ironhide, who was studying the floor. '_Why is he still up?'_ "Hide'?" She called out from her room. Ironhide quickly looked up and came to her side, a worried look on his face. "What is it? Are you alright?"

"I'm-argh, fine." She hissed through her teeth, a new wave of pain coming from her sides. "C-can you get a nurse. I'm in a lot of pain right now."

He took her hand tenderly, "Where does it hurt?"

"My sides. Argh, they, they hurt so bad." And they did, she was on the verge of tears from it now.

Hide' carefully took her in his arms, being sure not to touch her sides. He put her back in her bed and jogged out to find a nurse. There were a few chatting with each other at the nurses station. "The woman in room 207 is in a lot of pain, can you help her?" He asked gruffly.

They both nodded and quickly walked towards the room, Ironhide following right behind them. Once they were inside one grabbed a clean needle and began putting morphine into it, the other took her hand, rubbing in soothingly. "Oh honey, don't worry, we'll take care of the pain and it'll go away in a few minutes okay?"

Tears ran down Lissa's face, which was scrunched up in agony. She managed a small nod.

Ironhide couldn't stand seeing her like this, "Can you hurry up with that medication?" He barked, coming to her side in the same instant and taking her other hand. "I'm right here." He murmured soothingly.

The nurse walked back over and took her I-V bag, pumping the new set of drugs into her system. Once her tears subsided and she began to calm down the nurses left the room telling Ironhide to get them if she ever needed anything again. He grabbed a chair and scooted it up to her bedside. He was utterly _exhausted _from keeping the holoform up all day_,_ but he didn't care. Lissa needed him, and that meant more to him than going to staisis at the moment.

Scooting closer to the edge of the bed, she laid her head on his chest. "Thank you Ironhide."

"Are you in any more pain?" He asked, running a hand through her hair.

"No, I'm fine now."

Hide' could hear a little fear in her voice and knew that everything wasn't fine. "What is it Lissie?"

Lissa knew she couldn't keep anything from him, he'd find out eventually anyways, "I-I'm just a little scared of going back to sleep, m-my nightmares, they may come back."

"Move over." He said suddenly.

Confused, Lissa did what he asked. Ironhide stood up and sat down on the bed, taking her in his arms and resting her head on his chest. "Don't worry about them. Nothing can hurt you while I'm here, I'll protect you."

Lissa wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling deeper into his chest. She had to admit, with Ironhide here she felt much safer. She knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her, and that calmed her in a way no drug possibly could. "Ironhide?" She asked quietly.

"Yes Lissa." He rumbled.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"You have to promise you'll answer this truthfully."

He chuckled, "I promise."

She hid her face in his chest, not wanting to meet his eyes when she asked him this. "D-do you, have feelings for me?"

Ironhide was caught a little off guard by her question. He knew he had to tell her, it was only fair. "Yes, I do. For many reasons, and some I can't explain. I didn't tell you earlier because we're at war Lissa. If a Decepticon ever found out how I felt about you, they'd hunt you down immediately." He tightened his arms protectively at the thought.

"You would never let them." She murmured meekly.

Had he just heard right? "No, I wouldn't. But the Decepticons are smart and if I ever wasn't there, they'd find out. I couldn't live with myself if you got killed Lissa."

"But, how will they find out? We don't have to tell anyone about it."

His spark stopped for a moment. What was she saying? Did she feel attracted to him as well? "You're right, but I fear they'd find out anyways."

She tightened her grip in his shirt. "You wouldn't let them hurt me. And besides, I don't care if they did. I know how to use a gun, and when Bumblebee comes back he'll protect me as he does Sam."

She had a point, and he'd make sure that Bee didn't let anything happen to her, a death threat would probably do nicely. But he had to know for sure about how she felt first. "Lissa, what are you saying?"

Lissa looked up, fondness shining in her eyes. "I'm saying, you cranky old man, that I like you too."

He didn't realize he was holding his breath until he let it out, relieved upon hearing her words. He could feel his spark utterly _singing_ and thanked Primus that she felt the same way.

Ironhide chuckled and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "What are we going to do now?"

Lissa propped her chin up with her hand, thinking for a moment. "I think we should just keep going on as we always do, and just see where this takes us."

That sounded _perfect_ to him. He moved the blankets so he could cover them up and turned off the light. Lissa got comfortable in his arms and quickly fell into slumber. Ironhide watched her chest rise and fall, the motion calming him some. He still couldn't believe that she liked him too, or that he fell in love with a human. But one thing's for sure.

He wasn't going to let her go.

**A/N: Okay! Now that they admitted their feelings to each other the rest of the story should go smoothly. I hope you all enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun writing this, it was just SO DARN CUTE! As always, review!**

**~Court**


	10. The Battle Begins

**A/N: Hi everyone. I hope you're New Year was amazing. One of my resolutions was to improve my writing and to include more in a chapter. I'm going to take Lissa and Hide's relationship slow for now. They may have confessed that they have feelings for each other but that doesn't mean that they're in love or anything just yet. It's sort of an innocent relationship right now. I'd like to know if you guys have ANY ideas about how to improve my writing? I've seen a decline in reviews so I'm going to try as hard as I can to make this the best it can be. I want this story to be unique and original, not like any other Ironhide/OC stories that anyone has ever wrote. I hope I can meet up to that expectation. Enjoy. **

Lissa awoke the next morning to the sun shining through the blinds covering her window. Small beams of light danced around the room where the blinds didn't cover. She smiled a little and felt someone's arms tighten around her a fraction. A little confused she glanced down at the man sleeping beside her. _That's right_ she thought, _Ironhide stayed with me last night. _A small blush dusted her cheeks at the thought. Lissa wasn't usually one to show her emotions, but the small but growing relationship she had with Hide' was truly opening her up bit by bit.

A nurse quietly strolled into the room smiling sweetly and carrying a tray of oatmeal in her hands. Lissa sat up quickly and took the tray, thanking the kind nurse. She tried to be discreet as she shoveled her mouth full of the delicious food, but she was _starving. _Being on an IV for twenty-four hours that fed you automatically didn't satisfy your hunger like real food did. The nurse giggled a little at her reaction. "A little hungry are we?" She whispered.

Lissa looked up at her with a mouth full of oatmeal. She nodded and swallowed before speaking. "Yeah, thanks again for bringing this to me. Do you know when I get to go home?"

"Whenever the doctor can give you a final examination and you're friend there wakes up."

Lissa stopped eating and glanced at the man who still had one arm protectively around her waist as she sat. She looked back at the nurse, a neutral expression that she knew so well gracing her face. "He's just a friend. Must've fallen asleep while we were talking last night." She shrugged like it was no big deal.

The nurse nodded, internally smirking a little. She knew Lissa was lying, but of course she wasn't going to call her bluff. "Alright dear, do you want me to open these blinds for you?"

Lissa glanced at Hide' before returning to her meal. "Sure, thanks."

As soon as the light shown through the window Ironhide started tossing around, mumbling things as he started waking up. The nurse giggled again and made her way to the door, "I'll just leave you two alone then."

Once she was gone Lissa shook Ironhide to get him to wake up. He mumbled something unintelligible before opening his bright blue eyes. Sitting up quickly he took in his surroundings, trying to see what was wrong. "What? What happened?" He asked gruffly.

Lissa just rolled her eyes. "I was just waking you up you grumpy old man, don't get your knickers in a twist.

Ironhide looked at her confusedly, "What?"

Lissa couldn't help but laugh at his confusion. "It means, stop being cranky."

Hide' scoffed and rested his head on the pillow beside her, watching her as she ate. "How are you feeling?" He murmured.

"I'm okay. A little sore but I'll make it." She smiled at him. "How are you?"

He sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, resting his head against hers. "I'm alright. It's a little hard to keep the holoform up for so long."

"Then deactivate it. The nurse said they would let me out as soon as the doctor did a quick check up on me so I'll come see you when it's time to go home."

"I don't want to leave you alone." He mumbled, tightening his arm around her small form.

Lissa snorted and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine Hide'. They'll take good care of me."

"They better." He growled under his breath.

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before climbing out of bed. Ironhide watched her in curious concern. "What are you doing?"

She opened a few drawers, obviously searching for something. "Looking for a hairbrush."

Hide' chuckled a little her antics and got up to join her. "You know, I'm pretty sure they don't keep a hairbrush in here."

Lissa groaned but kept looking. "They should! Just look at my hair! Who would want to go out looking like this?" She gestured to her knotted mane and hospital gown.

Ironhide took in her appearance, honestly he had no idea what she was talking about. He thought she looked just fine as she was. Well, he thought she looked great in whatever state she was in. But he wasn't much of the soft type, not normally anyway, so he just kept his thoughts to himself. Suddenly an idea formed in his processors. "Lissie," He called from the other side of the room, "Come here."

Lissa straightened and walked towards him, a small fleck of hope lining her face. "Did you find one?"

Ironhide shook his head. "No. But…turn around for a moment."

Lissa had no idea where he was going with this but did what he asked. She felt a large hand tentatively rest on top of her head, before it ran slowly through her hair. She shrank into the touch, secretly loving the sensation.

Hide' carefully unknotted all of her long blonde mane, being sure not to cause her any discomfort. He could see a look of bliss stretched across her face and took small pride that he was the one to give her that reaction. Once he was finished he wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder. "All done." He rumbled.

Lissa giggled before wiggling herself out of his grasp. He watched as she limped/walked over to the sink to rinse her face. Gosh did she feel _dirty!_ After turning the water off she looked at herself in the small mirror. Her whole demeanor changed at she took herself in, scrutinizing her features. Hide' got a little worried when tears collected in the corners of her eyes. She moved a shaking hand to her jagged scar, touching it softly. Then ran her finger down the pink line. "Ironhide." She said, her voice cracking a little. "You need to…go get some rest. I'll be fine here just…I need some time alone."

Hide' felt conflicted, as much as her offer appealed to him, he couldn't miss the way she changed when looking at herself in the mirror. She looked almost…_disgusted_ to see her face. And that worried him some. But, she was the one who told him to leave, and he would respect that.

A defeated sigh escaped from his lips. "Alright, but if you need me, all you need to do is tell Sam. I'm here for you Lissie, don't forget it." With that he strode over to where she was standing and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, "You're beautiful, don't let anyone tell you otherwise." He murmured, and walked out of the room.

Lissa stood there, frozen at his words. Had he really meant it? Did he truly think she was beautiful? Honestly she didn't know what to think. After the accident, she'd never thought of herself as anything except ugly. Scarred yes, but that didn't change the fact. The scar just made it worse, not to mention how scarred she was on the _inside._ How could he even stand to be around her much less _like_ her? It made no sense. Yes, she was mentally, physically, and emotionally scarred, but all through this a realization came to her. Ironhide didn't _care_. True he had his own scars, being an alien warrior and all but she was sure he didn't know the true magnitude of just how _broken_ she truly was. Or how he was healing her, putting her back together piece by piece, and it scared her a little bit. A part of her didn't _want_ to come out of her safe zone, which was not letting anyone in, because they could be taken away from her just as quickly. But wasn't that true for Ironhide too? She was sure he knew any of his colleagues could be taken away from him at any moment, _she_ could be taken away from him at any moment.

A look of fierce determination crossed her features, this was going to be a battle, and she was going to have to fight too. She didn't want to be scared anymore, that night happened a long time ago, she was ready to forget it. The nightmares, the emotional pain, and her habit not to let anyone in, she wanted all of that to go away. Ironhide would help her, Sam would help her, even Judy and Ron would help her. All she had to do was fight herself and maybe, just maybe

She could become the girl that Sam once knew.

She knew that's what he truly wanted, was his fun loving cousin back again, and apart of her still reasoned that, that person was long gone. But she knew that wasn't true, many of her actions that past few days have only solidified that belief. Deep down she wanted to be that person again, for Sam, for everyone she had let down over the years, and for Ironhide.

She looked at herself in the mirror once more and did something she hadn't done while studying herself in years,

She smiled.

**A/N: Yeah I know, kinda boring. But her thoughts were needed to move the story along. It was kinda a filler chapter I suppose. But now we understand how Lissa is feeling. This'll start the fight for her to finally get over that traumatic day. After this there should be some more fluff between them, I know that's what you guys TRULY want! Haah, I want that too. I think with time this could turn out to be a pretty interesting story. **

**I love you all! **

**~Court**


	11. Reaching Out

Chapter 11: Reaching Out

**A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry I took so long. Don't have any excuses except that I lost my inspiration for awhile. But I'm back now! Before I go on I just want to say thank you so much to all who have taken the time to review! And a special thank you to Mrs. Knockout who was my one hundredth reviewer! I am so happy to see how this story has blossomed! And I just want to let everyone know, I. HATE. Fanfiction right now. First, I couldn't post this chapter, and then, when I could I had to fix all the mistakes that were made in the process! Ugh. So annoying. Anyways, reviews!**

Minimus Prime: No I wish I was! Lol yum. Sorry for taking so long! Thank you so much!

Crissy-Fenix-Prime: So true. Thank you! Yes I'm not planning on finishing up this story anytime soon so there should be many more.

MissShelz: Haha I'm glad you think so!

IronstarGallifrey: Yes well here I am with a nice long chapter!

Fanmanbookman: Thanks so much! Alright I'll keep that in mind, but with all the stories I now have going on it might be once a week. :3

Vivian Hale: Thank you. :D

FORD B: Thanks!

Bee4ever: Yes he is, a big "not soft" teddy bear! Thank you, will do!

CatGirlFireflare: More is on the way! :DInvader Ivy: Yay! Lol.

Clarissalightwood5679: I'm so happy that it is! Sorry for taking so long but here's (a very, very late) chapter just for you! :3

Mrs. Knockout: Thanks so much my one hundredth reviewer. :D I still can't believe this story has gotten so popular!

**Enjoy.**

"Lissa? Lissa, wake up."

Lissa groaned as she subconsciously pushed away whoever was shaking her. She couldn't understand why anyone was trying to wake her up when all the wanted to do was sleep forever. Turning on her side she pulled the blanket more securely over her body to shield herself from the cause of the problem. Unfortunately the shaking started again, harder than the last time. Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard someone call her name.

"Lissa!"

Lissa's eyes shot open as she sat up quickly, flailing around a bit while taking in her surroundings. Her gaze immediately honed in on Sam, who was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "What?" She snapped, still not understanding why in the hell he woke her up.

Sam flinched at her tone, suddenly becoming very interested in the white tiles on the floor. He could almost feel her annoyed gaze burning into his head. "Um…" He cleared his throat. "T-the doctor said you were free to go."

She narrowed her eyes at him, her voice coming out as a deadly whisper. "And why, does that have anything to do with you barging in here and waking me up at-" She glanced up at the wall clock. "ten o'clock in the morning?"

He swallowed thickly, struggling to come up with an answer. "Well, I just thought, you know, that you might want to-to leave?" He kept his eyes glued to the floor and tensed for her reaction.

Lissa was silent for a moment, all traces of sleep leaving her mind. She did want to go home, but more than that she just wanted to sleep. Growling in frustration she ran a hand through her ruffled-looking hair. She couldn't sleep now! Ever since she was a little kid it didn't matter how tired she was, once she was awake, there was no way she was going back to sleep.

Turning back towards Sam she regarded the poor man. Seeing how uncomfortable she was making him made her almost sorry for him. Almost. "Sam." She hissed menacingly. "Get. Out."

Said man looked up in surprise. "W-what?"

"Get out!" She screamed. "Get your sorry ass out of my room or so help me I'll have Hide' use his cannons on you!"

Sam didn't give her a second glance before running out of the room. "And tell Hide' to come here while you're out there!" She called out to his retreating form.

Slumping in her pillows once he was gone she glanced at the clock again. A string of curses that would've made any sailor proud leaving her mouth. Who got up at ten a.m.? For her, that was way to early, especially since she didn't sleep very well last night. Pain and nightmares don't make a very good mix.

Although she did have nightmares, she felt a strange sense of peace about them now. She knew they wouldn't be able to rule her life if she didn't let them. After waking up in a cold sweat at three a.m. she took a few deep breaths and told herself repeatedly that it was just a dream. A few minutes into her mantra she actually felt a lot better. Sure, she didn't get back to sleep until seven, but being able to calm herself down counted for something didn't it?

Just thinking about what she accomplished put a small smile on her face. She let out a little girlish giggle before tentatively getting out of bed. She groaned at the pain coursing through her body at the movement. Struggling to stand she let out a small sound of surprise when she felt two large hands under her arms helping her up. Once she felt she was stable she turned to face Ironhide. She noted that he looked a lot better than yesterday, the exhausted aura that surrounded him now completely gone.

"Hi." She murmured, cautiously putting a hand on his cheek.

"Morning Lissie." He rumbled, leaning into her touch. He could tell she didn't get much sleep the night before, what with the small black rings under her eyes. It made his spark hum in guilt for leaving her. But when he looked into her eyes he saw something different from the shadows he usually saw. There was a small tinge of something else there, what it was he didn't know. "How did you sleep?" He inquired calmly.

She faltered a little in her happy demeanor before grinning at him again. "Oh, fine I guess." Not wanting to stay on the topic for too long she quickly changed the subject. "So, did Sam tell you I'm free to go?"

He nodded, aware that she didn't want to talk about her night. "Yes, do you wish to leave now?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here. The nurse said I had to take my medicine before I was released so could you go get her?"

"Of course." He took the hand on his cheek and lightly kissed her knuckles before striding out of the room.

Lissa closed the door behind him and set to work getting her clothes from the drawer to change out of her hospital gown. It took a little more time since her movements were clumsy and stiff, and any wrong tilt of her body could send her into another wave of pain, but she finally managed to do it.

While she was putting her hair in a messy ponytail she heard a knock on the door. "Come in." She called out from the bathroom.

Ironhide and her personal nurse Heidi entered the room. Once Lissa saw her hair was decent enough she emerged from the bathroom clothed and ready to go. Heidi smirked when she took in the younger woman's appearance. The anxiousness to leave that emitted from Lissa was nothing new to the weathered nurse. Most people wanted to leave a hospital as soon as possible, after all, no one liked to be poked with needles did they?

Extracting an orange bottle from her pant's pocket Heidi handed it to Lissa. "Take two right now, and another two every six hours for the next seven days. It'll help ease the pain, but it might cause you to have a loss of appetite. Eat regularly as you usually do and you should be fine."

Lissa took the bottle of pills gratefully and popped two into her mouth. Heidi handed her a cup of water to chase them down. "Are you still in a lot of pain?" She asked once Lissa handed the cup back to her.

She shrugged, "Some, but only when I move certain ways. It's not as bad as it was."

"Do you want me to get a wheelchair for you?"

"No." Ironhide cut in. "I'll carry her, there is no need."

Lissa made a sound of protest. "But I can walk! I-"

A stern glance in her direction shut her up pretty quick. "You are injured Lissa. I am carrying you whether you like it or not."

Lissa crossed her arms indignantly over her chest and muttered under her breath. Ironhide nodded at the nurse and swiftly took Lissa up in his arms, careful not to jostle her too much. Once she was securely against his chest he left the room to find Sam and his parents. The whole walk there Lissa didn't utter a single word, and the silence worried him some. "Are you in any pain?"

She shook her head. "No not really. I'm fine Hide'."

Upon hearing her answer he turned his attention to the waiting room where Sam sat in a lone chair. Neither Ron or Judy were in the room at the time. Sam got up and came towards them once they came into view. Casting a nervous glance at Lissa he turned to address the Autobot cradling his cousin to his chest. "So, she's ready to go?"

"Yes. I will be taking her with me. We will meet you back at you home shortly."

"Okay, my parents already went back to get some food. So I guess I'll see you guys later."

As Sam turned to leaved a female voice from behind stopped him. "Wait!" He swiveled around to face a guilty looking Lissa. "I'm really sorry about snapping at you earlier, I was tired, but I know I shouldn't have. Sorry Sammy."

He chuckled and rolled his eyes. Typical Lissa, apologizing even if he thought he was the one in the wrong. Reaching out he ruffled her hair affectionately. "Aw it's alright Liss, I don't blame you. You're just a hormonal teenage girl after all." He sighed and shook his head. "You just can't control these things."

Lissa shrieked and socked him lightly on the arm. "You jerk! Fine! I take back my apology! And I'll have you know it was pretty damn funny seeing you run out of my room with your tail between your legs after I scared the shit out of you!"

"Sam doesn't have a tail?" Ironhide put in, a little confused.

She laughed and patted him on the chest. "It's just a figure of speech we humans use Hide'."

Sam huffed and debated whether or not he should pull her ponytail out. What she said really hurt his ego. Besides, he hadn't left the room like that… had he?

Acting unfazed by her taunts he picked up his backpack from the ground and muttered something about seeing them later before exiting the hospital. He decided against pulling her hair out.

Hide' soon followed the man's lead, Lissa snickering in his arms. Smiling a little at the sound he looked down at her. "What's so funny?"

"Sam. I think I really did scare the shit out of him."

He chuckled and opened the driver's side door of the Topkick to set her inside. Glancing around to make sure there weren't any humans nearby he disappeared in a flurry of sparks. Soon, the engine was heard and the truck swerved out of the parking lot. Lissa got comfortable in the leather seat and rolled the windows down. Lost in thought she squealed when she felt the seat belt wrap around her.

"Safety first."

Lissa rolled her eyes. "Why do I need a seatbelt when I'm riding with you?"

The seatbelt squeezing her tighter was his only response. Taking that as her que to be quiet she leaned her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. Last night's lack of sleep was finally catching up with her.

Ironhide felt her tense form relax and heard her breathing soften. Looking at her through his rear-view mirror he saw her head was bent at an odd angle. Knowing she might have an uncomfortable ache in her neck if she slept like that, he gently retracted the seatbelt and let her sprawl out on the bench seat. She got comfortable and stared at the dashboard with half lidded eyes. The radio crackled to life. "I'm sorry Lissie, I didn't mean to wake you."

She yawned and stretched. "It's fine Hide'. Can you take me somewhere quiet? I need to talk to you about something."

Curious as to what could be on her mind he easily complied. "I know of a place."

Fifteen minutes later he cut the engine and allowed a half conscious Lissa to climb out. Taking in her surroundings she became wide eyed at the sight. "Woah." She murmured. It was a beautiful outlook. The sun made the ocean below glitter, and a soft breeze rustling the grass at her feet tickled her legs. Ironhide's holoform came to stand beside her, taking in the scene before him. It was all just as he remembered it. Except this time, he was sharing it with a little broken human who had inched her way into his war hardened heart. Yes, in the short time he had known her she had become a friend to him. But as soon as the word 'friend' came to mind he realized that didn't describe what Lissa was to him. Actually, the more he thought about it he didn't know what she was to him. Sure, he knew he was attracted to her in his own way, but he also knew they were nowhere close to being Sparkmates. 'She's in a category that is all her own.' He mused to himself, and as he glanced at her in the corner of his eye, he was sure of it.

Lissa, oblivious to the Autobot's thoughts was entranced by the beauty of it all. So much so that she almost forgot why she had him bring her here in the first place. Shaking her head to clear her mind she figured now was a good a time as any to tell him what she wanted to do, but she didn't know where to start. Clearing her throat to get his attention she tried to come up with the words to describe it all to him. "Um, there's-there's something I need your help with."

He arched an eyebrow. "What is it?"

She shuffled a little before a look of determination crossed her features. Staring at him dead on she answered. "I want to get better."

She watched as his eyes widened, shock shown brightly in his blue irises. He was not expecting her to say that. It made him wonder what exactly transpired to change her mind. Just a few days ago he was comforting a broken girl who had no hope. Now he was looking into the eyes of a woman with a fierce determination lining her features that he'd never seen from her before. Suddenly the morning's events came rushing back to him. The difference he saw in her eyes, he knew what it was now.

It was hope.

A ghost of a smile graced the mech's lips. Even he could barely believe just how happy her words made him. He knew deep in his spark that he wanted to help her, so whatever she needed from him, he would give.

He crossed the space between them to stand right in front of her. His vibrant eyes boring into hers as he took her hand. Words full of sincerity he murmured. "Whatever you need Lissa, I am here."

Tears welled up in Lissa's eyes. She knew he was speaking the truth, and just the thought of someone truly going to be there for her almost made her cry. Not knowing how else to show how grateful she really was, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. Soon she felt his own arms hesitantly snake around her waist, holding her flush against him. Lissa rested her head on his chest and sighed, he voice barely coming out as a whisper. "Thank you."

He laid his chin on top of her head and closed his eyes. "You're welcome."

They stayed like that for a long time, just holding each other. Many thoughts went through Ironhide's processor at the time, but one stood out from all the rest. This girl, was truly special.

A loud yawn interrupted his thoughts. Opening his eyes he looked down at Lissa and saw just how tired she was. Coming to a decision he carefully picked her up in his arms and carried her back to his alt form. Too exhausted to protest she let him lay her down on the seat and incoherently recalled the vehicle start to move underneath her. After that, she quickly succumbed to slumber.

Ironhide drove as smoothly as he could so he wouldn't jostle the sleeping girl. Although he highly doubted much could wake her, she was pretty much dead to the world at this point.

While he drove he watched her sleep. It almost felt as if his processor was split two ways like when he was in his holoform, part of his conscious staying aware of the road. She always seemed a bit more peaceful when she was asleep-unless she was having a nightmare-all of the lines and creases marring her pretty face all but disappeared except her scar. He found again how much he liked watching her sleep. The motion of her body moving up and down each time she took in a breath was almost soothing. So engrossed in his thoughts and watching her that it slightly disturbed him when he realized they were pulling up that familiar drive, where had the time gone?

Lissa groaned inwardly at the movement of someone picking her up. Why couldn't everyone just leave her alone for once?

Her irritation turned to relief when the arms of the person carrying her found a suitable position for her against their chest and ceased turning her over in their arms. Vaguely she wondered who's arms they were. Her first thought was Sam, and if it was that jerk had a lot of nerve.

Oddly, her half conscious state of mind dismissed the thought as soon as it came. Some part of her knew this wasn't Sam. They were too bulky and well muscled. Sam was, well scrawny. She also knew that this person was familiar, as if she'd been in their arms a million times before, but she couldn't remember who it was. Setting her face into a scowl she cursed herself mentally. Why was she wasting all this time wondering who it was when she could be sleeping? True, said person had woken her up, partially, but that didn't mean she had to sit here thinking about it. Another part of her mind asked herself why she wouldn't just open her eyes. 'Duh' She thought dumbly and eased her eyes open as the person laid her gently on her bed.

"Hide'." She breathed, feeling so much better now that she knew he was the one here with her.

Ironhide, startled upon hearing his name looked up to meet the eyes of the sleepy girl. He granted her a small smile before tucking her under her blankets. Up close, he could see how fragile she really was. He watched her body move and imagined her having porcelain bones and paper skin, which wasn't so far from the truth. Any wrong move and he could easily break her, and as the realization dawned on him he found himself being a little more cautious as to how he handled her.

Lissa, oblivious to his musings was already asleep again. She had calmed radically under his touch, and he found himself a little pleased that he was the one who invoked that reaction from her. She sighed in her sleep, turning onto her side and snuggled deeper into her pillow. Ironhide couldn't help but chuckle endearingly, slowly moving his hand to brush a few loose strands of hair out of her face. He wondered if she was dreaming, and if she was what about.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he suddenly straightened and headed for the door. His job was done, and he had no reason to stay. "Might as well go check in with Prime." He muttered to himself, a little weary as to what news his commander would bring. But, being the hardened warrior he was, he would tackle in head on as he did most things. Besides, things couldn't be too bad, right?


	12. New Protection

Chapter 12: New Protection

**A/N: Yay! I'm back with more Ironhide/Lissa action. Hope you enjoy, and you'll meet a new Cybertronian along the way… so be on the lookout for him!**

**Reviews**

SJSGirl: You think so? I'm glad. Yes he does! Sometimes I wonder how he saved the world three times being the scaredy cat he is… Buuut I still love him dearly. :)

Kimmie98: Yes yes he is. :) (Oh yes, that to!) Thanks for reviewing!

Tfandanimefan: Maybe… ;)

Transformers girl 1234: Aww really? I love that name, I really do. Thank you! Annd the next chapter is here just for you! :3

Autobot-Bre: It's good to be back! No I haven't. :/ I'm so glad! Well, I know it wasn't very soon… but hopefully you'll enjoy it all the same! :)

Mrs. Knockout: Yes he can. :) You have no idea how much it means to me to hear that… Thank you so much. One day, if I do ever have that many reviews, I really do hope you are there. No one could ask for a better reader!

rEdRoSeSiNaUgUsT: First of all, I LOVE you're username. :) Oh, and your update has arrived! Thanks for reviewing.

FORD B: Thank you!

CatGirlFireFlare: I know right? And bad things are going to happen hehe. Thanks so much! I'm ecstatic that you enjoy it so much!

**Now, on to the story!**

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"_He is on his way." _

The end of the com link crackled then shut off. Ironhide growled in frustration, Prime was sending a brand new Autobot here to protect Sam and Lissa? As much as he valued Prime's input this just didn't seem right to him. He didn't know this mech designated as Metalreaper, or his amount of skill in combat. Prime had assured him that the mech was more than capable to protect his human charges, but it still made him uneasy. Sam was a sort of comrade to him, and Lissa was… _Lissa. _If anything happened to either of them… No. He dismissed the thought immediately. He was a warrior, this was the sort of thing he had trained for, for _millennia. _

Still, he would be sure to have a word with this Metalreaper about their safety, Lissa's especially. Probably a threat or two would do nicely as well.

A car horn was heard, and from his alt form he watched Lissa bound out of the house to a waiting vehicle. A few of her teammates from track had offered to let her ride with them. She had taken the offer eagerly, excited at the prospect of making new friends. Two of those candidates were male, which made him a little cautious and another emotion he couldn't define. He'd asked Sam about it a few days prior, having felt it before. The human had laughed and shook his head, speaking as if he were a sparkling. _"Oh 'Hide, that's a nasty little thing called jealousy."_

Jealousy. He was jealous that those two male humans were given the privilege to spend time with her. As much as he hated to admit it he knew it was true. Now as he watched her drive away he couldn't help but feel the foreign emotion well up inside him again. He quickly shook it off and returned to more pressing matters. Like the fact that he was leaving Sam and Lissa with a mech he didn't know, and neither of the humans knew anything about it yet. He knew he'd have to tell them soon, what with him leaving in a little less than twenty-four hours. But he had a reason he'd been withholding the information until now. He was worried about Lissa. How would she react when he told her that Decepticons were on the rise, and he'd have to leave her for a week? Or that a new Autobot that neither Sam nor she knew was coming to protect them? Honestly, he thought that Prime was making a mistake. Even so, he was his commander, he had no choice but to follow orders. Sam was capable of taking care of Lissa when she had her nightmares or pull her out of the dark pit of depression when she fell to far. Still, he would much rather be the one caring for her, not Sam.

An hour passed, and soon a navy blue GMC Canyon Pickup could be seen rumbling down the road. The vehicle turned into the Witwicky's driveway and came to a stop beside him. Ironhide took a moment before he addressed him, "Come with me, let us go somewhere more secluded." He started up his engine and started towards an abandoned factory he knew about. Metalreaper silently followed, keeping quiet the whole drive there.

Once they reached their destination Ironhide immediately transformed into his bipedal form and motioned from the new Autobot to do the same.

Metalreaper was a large mech, standing at about 25 feet tall. He was bulky, like himself, but still had an air of grace about him. He seemed to be the type that could handle a lot of open fire, but could also dodge an enemy's blades with ease considering his bulky form. "Hmm." Ironhide muttered to himself, the rookie returned his gaze calmly. Hide' could tell he was confident of his capabilities, but he did know the fine line between confident and overly confident. _'That's good.'_ He thought. The mech's weapons met his approval as well. He had one retracting blade in one arm, and a cannon much like his own in the other. "Maybe Prime was right." He mused to himself. He still had to be sure though.

"Soldier!" He barked in the human's English language, testing to see if he knew it or not.

The mech quickly caught on his saluted to his superior. "Sir!"

Ironhide grunted, sounding unimpressed. "Commander Prime has given you orders to protect my human charges has he not?"

Metalreaper's eyes lit up with excitement though he tried to hide it. "Yes sir!"

The weapon's specialist watched him carefully, he seemed to be _happy_ about getting the opportunity to watch over the humans. Well, he would just have to test that theory. "How do you feeling about co-working with humans? Doesn't it anger you that you have to take orders from an insect?"

The mech looked startled and surprised. "N-no sir. I'm actually quite excited to get to know Samuel and Callissa. Commander Prime spoke very highly of Sam, and said that he saved his world twice." He shrugged, "I don't have any problem when given orders from Major Lennox, and as far as I've seen, the humans are a lot like us. I'd really, really like to get to know them.

'Hide thought over his words. The mech had those shadowed optics that told of his torture in this war, but he also had an air of innocence about him that he had never _seen_ in one of them before. The rookie was young, but he had been through much. It surprised him that the mech still held on to that.

He pushed the thoughts aside and returned his penetrating glare on the rookie. He smirked at his apparent uneasiness and had an idea.

The blow came so fast Metalreaper almost didn't have enough time to deflect it. He quickly activated his blade and shielded himself from Ironhide's fist. He was so stunned that he didn't react quick enough when the next blow came. The tussle went on for a few minutes before Hide' had him pinned to the ground, cannons aimed at his spark chamber. Satisfied, he got up and let the other mech do the same. "You are decent enough, for a rookie. You still got a long way to go, but you'll do fine as the human's protector."

Metalreaper grinned and happily saluted to him. "Thank you sir!"

They returned to the Witwicky's household and came upon Lissa and Sam already there, laughing about something that had happened at track practice.

Lissa was practically _beaming_ with happiness. Her practice had gone as smoothly as she'd hoped, and her new friends has invited her to a party Saturday night. Sam listened with equal happiness at his cousin's crazy story tale of her teammate Drew getting stuck between the high jump pads. He just hadn't seen Lissa so _ecstatic _in a long time, and it made him happier than he could ever imagine. Lissa needed to smile like this more, he mused. When she did she lit up the whole room like a little piece of sunshine. He knew she thought he was laughing and smiling because of her story, but really, he was just happy to see his cousin again, to really see her.

The Callissa he hadn't seen since he was eleven.

They were so immersed in their moment that they didn't notice Ironhide pull up, a navy blue truck right behind him.

The war hardened mech watched the humans with amused interest. It warmed his spark to see Lissie so happy, and he could tell it made Sam happy too.

"So that's them." Metalreaper murmured from beside him.

'Hide's radio crackled to life. "Yes, that's Sam and Lissa. I must ask, do you have a holoform? It would be better to meet them that way."

Blue sparks were immediately seen in Metalreaper's alt from. Soon a young man no older than twenty stepped out of the truck. He nodded and grinned. "Ol' Ratchet wouldn't let me leave without one."

Not saying a word, he activated his own holoform and started towards them. The rookie quickly followed suit, watching his new human charges with curiosity.

A large hand on Lissa's shoulder made her jump. She swiveled around to meet Ironhide's gruff gaze. She squealed with delight and wrapped her arms around his torso happily. 'Hide smiled a little, and returned the embrace. Once they broke apart Lissa gave him a dazzling smile. "Hey Hide'!" She opened her mouth to say more when a man behind him caught her gaze. The man looked at her shyly, and she offered him a small smile. As soon as she did his face changed to one of an excited child getting a present on Christmas. He swiftly sidestepped Ironhide and came face to face with her. Lissa couldn't help but grin at the blue haired boy's enthusiasm. She offered a hand. "Hi, I'm-"

"Lissa. I've heard a lot about you." He took her hand and shook it. He had seen the action before, usually done when a human met someone new. "I'm Metalreaper."

Her eyes lit up with curiosity. "Oh, are you an Autobot?"

Metalreaper nodded vigorously. "Yes Miss Callissa."

Lissa laughed and shook her head. "No no, just Lissa please. I don't want any formalities, I'm sure we'll become great friends."

If the rookies' grin could've gotten any bigger, it would've. He was totally floored by the idea that Lissa already thought of him as a potential comrade. "Alright, I believe you're right Lissa."

It was then that Sam stepped in between them. He looked the holoform up and down, almost sure that he hadn't met this Autobot before. He was tall, almost reaching Ironhide's height, with dark hair that looked blue when the light hit it right. It was cut so that it was short on the sides and back, but the bangs were a tad longer. He had the same piercing blue eyes like all the other bots, and a pearly white smile which was directed at his cousin at the moment. He didn't like him, he didn't know why, but he just didn't like him. Clearing his throat he tried to come up with something to say since he was already in the position to do so. "So… you're Metalreaper? I don't think I've seen you before."

The mech shrugged, "You haven't. I just landed here with a few other bots about three weeks ago. Commander Prime sent me here to protect you and Lissa. You must be Sam then, it's good to meet you." He stuck his hand out and waited until the young man confusedly took it.

The human's both turned to look at Ironhide with questioning looks. Sam was the first to speak up. "Hide'? What's he talking about?"

Hide' crossed his arms and firmly responded to his charge, "I have to leave Sam. Prime has detected Decepticon activity, and we get to go clean up their fragging mess. Rookie here is going to guard you while I'm gone."

Lissa took a step to stand in front of him, her eyes wide with fear. "You aren't going to get hurt are you? I mean, you'll come back… right?" He sighed and shook his head. "I don't know Lissa. 'Cons can be smart, we never know what we're up against until we're there."

Lissa looked away, but he put a hand under her chin to make her look him in the eyes. She was scared for him, he could see that much. He didn't want her to be scared, he wouldn't be able to fight knowing she was.

Letting go of her chin he moved to rest his hands on her slender shoulders and regarded her calmly. "_Cheri. _Don't worry about me, I've been fighting in this war for millennia." He smirked, "You won't get rid of me so easily."

The little female smiled sadly. "Alright 'Hide." She bit her lip and leaned her head into his chest. "Just…be careful."

He nodded, "I will."

Metalreaper watched the whole scene with curiosity and concern. He could see that his superior meant a great deal to Lissa, and he didn't want her upset. Wanting to console her, he scrambled to find something to distract his charge. Suddenly, his eyes lit up when he got an idea.

Sauntering over he slung an arm around the blonde girl's shoulders. "Hey Lissa, I'm kinda new here and all, so I was wondering, can you maybe show me around? I'm eager to find out what humans do for fun on your planet." He was also hoping he could find out how she got that scar of hers. How could anyone mar such a pretty face like that?

Lissa's demeanor immediately changed to excitement. "Sure can! Have you ever heard of video games?"

The mech was about to respond when Sam beat him to it. "Whoa whoa whoa hold up!" He put his hand up for emphasis. "I know Prime sent you here to guard us and all, but I don't know you." He crossed his arms and stared indignantly up at him. "If you're taking my cousin somewhere, I'm going too."

Lissa watched as Metalreaper stiffened ever so slightly. She could see the hurt in his eyes even if he was trying to hide it. She cast a glare at Sam and gave the Autobot a sympathetic squeeze. "It's okay Metal, Sam's just being cautious. It's nothing against you, alright?"

He visibly relaxed at her words, but the small tinge of hurt didn't leave his eyes. "Okay." He granted her a small smile before turning back to Sam. Sincere seriousness laced his tone as he spoke, "I will do my best to earn your trust, and I will protect both of you with my life. You have my word."

Sam grunted, seeming content with his statement. Then he went inside without another word.

Dumbfounded, Lissa watched him go. She wondered what in the hell was his problem. She knew her cousin wasn't one to get angry, he was usually a lot more easygoing than that. What was it about Metalreaper that he didn't like?

She sighed and shook her head, then became a little surprised when she noticed that the tension had not left when Sam went inside. Ironhide was still standing behind them, stiffly watching the scene. He wanted the slagger to _stop touching her_. Now. And that idiotic part was, he didn't know why. All he knew was that his spark trembling violently in his chest was a very real feeling, and it demanded to be known.

Before 'Hide even realized what he was doing he strode right up to the mech holding Lissa and gently drew her away. All the while glaring daggers at the confused Autobot in front of him.

"That. Is quite enough." He rumbled menacingly.

Metalreaper became even more confused and slowly backed away. In all honesty, 'Hide was just as baffled as he was.

Lissa stepped up to face him, a very perturbed expression on her face. "'Hide, what's wrong?"

As soon as the young woman was in his grasp once again his spark ceased it's writhing and returned to a content hum. He blinked, trying to understand it enough to give her an answer.

Metalreaper spoke up cautiously. "Did I… do something wrong?"

He didn't think so, but his spark told him otherwise. He tried to sift through his emotions again, but they still came out in a jumble. He felt angry, confused, frustrated, and content all at the same time, and he didn't even know why he felt the first three. Lissa's touch was the thing that had calmed him down.

Fed up with it all the gruff mech slapped a hand on his forehead and growled in frustration. "I don't fragging know! I'm-I'm going to contact Ratchet, I think my processor's got a glitch." He mumbled a few more incoherent things before the holoform diffused into the air. Lissa stared at the spot where he had vanished before looking at Metalreaper with an exasperated expression. The Autobot shrugged and returned her flabbergasted gaze. She glanced at the silent Topkick before thowing her hands up in the air in irritation. Motioning for the shaken mech to follow her she headed inside. "I swear all of you are PMSing." The frazzled woman muttered under her breath.

**A/N: Okay! I think I did alright, considering that I'm EXHAUSTED and have to get up early for work tomorrow. 'Hide's a little jacked up right now isn't he? Poor guy, his emotions are in a ****total**** tizzy. Anyways, whaddya think of Metalreaper? I believe he'll play a small to moderate part in the way this story turns out, and yes I knnnooow. "Why'd you create a new Autobot he's not a part of the movies you're not following the storyline blah blah blah." Well, neither is this little story here. Remember people, this is **_**Fanfiction.**_** I promise you I'll stick to the movie's original storyline alright? Just please, let me have my fun. :3 **

**Love you all, **

**~Court **


	13. Weight of the World

Chapter 13: Weight of the World

**A/N: Whoo! I'm on a roll now! Got my muse going strong, and we're gonna see those updates come pretty fast! Thanks SO much to all who reviewed, you guys make my day, and honestly, I probably wouldn't have picked up a pencil and wrote this story ever again if I didn't sit down and read them all today, so…thank you. Enjoy. **

**Reviews:**

**Bee4ever: I will! That's good, sticking to a storyline is boring so I like to change things up. Thank you!**

**SJSGirl: Well that's great! He's going to be a lot of fun to write so I'm pretty excited! Nope, but hey, with men we almost NEVER know what to think. :p Yes it is, hopefully it won't last! Thanks for commenting!**

**Anonomon: Thank you! Hmm, don't know. I really can't say… ;) I'm glad you like it. It wasn't soon, but I'm getting back into the groove!**

**Kimmie98: Ha! I know! No, he's actually pretty innocent, or maybe just really oblivious! LOL. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Mrs. KnockoutL Amen! You said it! Awesome, glad you find him interesting! I know, it's so funny. Hide is what? BILLIONS of years older than the kid? I thought he was supposed to be a bit more grown up than that… Oh well! That's why we love him! Thanks for your support, it really means a lot!**

**CalicoKat35: I don't think jealousy is anyone's friend, but it is pretty fun to write… ;) Lol. **

**Patchwork Knightness: Thank you! I'm glad so many people are with me in this. :)  
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**Tuxedo-chan: I'm glad! I mean to please. :) Well…not soon… But um, it's here! :D Thanks for reviewing. **

**Kalypso The Great: Awe… I'm sorry about your attack! That's horrible! I was SO happy when I read that you got over your fear and began to wear shorts! You go girl! Don't let anyone tell you your ugly, and shucks! Wear those damn shorts with pride. :) I'm ecstatic that you enjoy this story! I hope it lives up to your expectations! :) (Oh and yes, we'll get into DOTM later in the story.) :)  
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**Autobot-Bre: Thanks! More is on the way!**

**CatGirlFireFlare: Right? I thought so too. :) I just love Hide. :)  
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**VioletDawn00: Great! Well here it is! I hope you enjoy it! **

**CrAsHqUeEn18: Really? She is? Awesome! Yes, I will be sure to tell you guys what's going on, and I'm not afraid to do it either! Thank you! Your update is here my dear. :)  
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**Rose of Dusk: Thanks! Update's here!**

**Transformers nummber 1 fan: That's great! I think she will meet them later. :) Thanks for commenting. **

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"Hide's gone."

A voice from her doorway made Lissa drop her controller and spin around. She looked at Sam with disbelief, "What? Already?"

Sam shared a glance with Metalreaper before shrugging, "Guess so, he just kinda took off a few minutes ago."

Metalreaper spoke up, "He didn't say why?"

Sam shook his head, "Nope, but he seemed to be in a pretty big hurry to get out of here. Maybe something came up."

Fear welled up in Lissa's heart, "Do you think he's going to be okay?"

Metalreaper sensed her distress and put a hand on her shoulder, "He'll be fine, he's tough. I can't see a Decepticon messing him up too bad."

At his words she relaxed, but Sam grew tense. "Take your hand off my cousin." He blurted out.

Lissa and Metalreaper looked at Sam in shock, but seeing his glare the Autobot slowly withdrew his hand. They started at each other for a few minutes before Lissa broke the silence, "Sam. Meet me outside. Now." She growled angrily. Getting to her feet she slipped out of the room without another word.

Sam broke eye contact with the mech and quietly followed her.

"What the hell is your problem!?" Lissa barked angrily once Sam came into the yard.

Sam didn't say anything, made no notion that he even heard her. He stuck his hands in his pockets and scuffed his shoe in the dirt. He seemed pretty occupied with whatever he was staring at on the ground.

Lissa waited for an answer, and as the minutes passed her temper flared hotter and hotter. Finally she strode right up to him and made him look her in the eyes. When she did so she stopped, her anger dissipating as quickly as it came. What she saw there was confusing, and nothing that she expected. Sam looked…scared almost.

She searched his eyes for the reason, but didn't find one. "What's wrong Sam?" She asked quietly.

Her cousin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She almost thought he wasn't going to answer her, but then he did. "I don't like him." He murmured finally.

Lissa stared at him confusedly, what did Metalreaper do? Not much made Sam act this way, so whatever it was it had to be serious. "Why?"

Sam shrugged and went to sit on the bench. He knew he had to choose his words carefully with this one, and Liss wasn't going to leave without an answer.

"Come sit by me." He said, and patted the spot next to him.

Now this worried her, Sam _never_ acted like this. Something was wrong, very wrong. She slowly sat down and turned to look at him, waiting for him to tell her what was going on.

Sam kept his head down, a sad look passing across his face. "Sam…" Lissa whispered, worry laced deeply in her voice.

Sam opened his eyes, and all of his sadness could be seen. It was so potent that it rolled off of him in waves. There was pain, an indescribable pain deep in his eyes. When she saw it, she took a shaky breath. Only one question ran through her mind as they looked at each other, What did this to her cousin?

It was a long time before Sam broke eye contact and spoke, "It was my fault." He whispered brokenly.

Lissa wanted to take away this pain, this horrible _guilt_ that he was feeling. "What was? Sam _please _tell me what's wrong."

Sam closed his eyes to hide the tears collecting there, it was almost too hard to say the words, "Your scar."

Lissa reeled back at his response, shock flowed through her and her whole body went numb. The realization his her like a wave, all these years,_ he_ thought it was _his _fault.

Her own tears spilled down her face, "That _wasn't _your fault Sam, it _never_ was."

Sam shook his head in agony and squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, "Yes it was!" He choked out in desperation, "I never should have left you alone that day, I-I should've looked harder!"

"_No_ Sam, there was nothing you could've done to prevent it, nothing. Even if you were with me that day, you would've gotten hurt too. I would never have been able to live with myself if that happened!"

"But I can't live with seeing you now!" He cried, all of his pent up fear, sadness, and guilt poured out with his words. "If I was there, maybe I could've saved you! Maybe your dad wouldn't have died! It's all my fault!"

Lissa just stared at him, tears never ceasing, and watched as his own tears spilled over and he began to _sob._ Loud choking breaths came from his lungs, and his whole frame shook with his despair.

"Sam, _Sam_ look at me. Look at me." She put her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. "You _can't _hold on to this guilt! My scars, my pain, I would never ever want you to share in them. You were _eleven_ Sam, there was nothing you could've done. He would've killed you too, and I can't live without you _and_ dad."

At her words Sam lifted his tear stained face, and she went on, "You are my best friend, you need to understand, I can live with these scars. What he could've done would've been much worse, and even then I would rather it be me than you!"

"But…you're dad…and that man in the alley…"

Lissa's eyes softened, "My dad died protected me Sam, he would've done the same thing if it were you. That man, well, Ironhide saved me. You've been carrying this around for _seven _years Sam, please, I can't walk away knowing that you still are. Let it go, for me."

Sam's sobs ceased, and he searched her glistening eyes, what he was searching for, she will never know. Finally, he closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "Okay Liss, I-I will. But…I _wish_ I could've done something so that you wouldn't have to live with this." He was talking about her scar.

Lissa got up and smiled down at him wistfully, "You know as well as I do that nothing in life works that way."

He stood beside her and smiled back. "You're right, but now I can do something, and I will do everything I can to make sure nothing like that happens to you again."

She blinked, and he could see the connection she was making in her head. "You mean Metalreaper."

He nodded, "Yeah."

The runner opened her mouth to say more but he stopped her, "I know what you're thinking, that I'm afraid he's going to hurt you and that he won't. How do you know he won't Liss? I trust Hide, but I don't trust him."

She thought about his reasoning and had to admit, he was right. "I get that, but Hide trusts him, and you trust Hide, so don't worry too much about it."

"Fine. But if he ever does something to upset you let me know."

His cousin grinned, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. She ruffed up his hair and gave him a nod of confirmation, "Don't worry Sammy, I will."

He rolled his eyes, but was content in the fact that Lissa would keep him informed. He gave her a smile and turned to go back inside, but she grabbed his arm, "Wait a second." She said seriously, "You need to go apologize to Metalreaper."

Sam, blinked, "What? Why!?" He cried in exasperation.

"He doesn't understand why you're acting this way! I didn't even have a clue until you told me. He hasn't done anything to me, so you owe him an apology."

"That won't be necessary."

Metalreaper came out the door and crossed his arms, staring at his charges.

Lissa rubbed the back of her head, an apology on her tongue, "Metalreaper I-"

The Autobot held his hand up to silence her, "It's okay. I heard the whole thing." He turned to Sam, "I understand why you acted the way you did, but I would _never_ harm you, or Lissa for that matter."

The two men stared at each other for a long minute, as if sizing one another up. Sam nodded slowly and stuck his hand out, the break in the tension when he did so was instantaneous, "Well then, if you really are one of the good guys, welcome to my humble abode."

Lissa grinned as they shook hands. It was a relief to see them being friendly.

Sam left them alone then, giving her one last warning glance and then headed back inside. With her cousin gone Lissa motioned for Metalreaper to come with her, he wordlessly followed as she lead him out to the driveway. "Can we take a drive?" She asked softly.

The Autobot saw the angst on her face and nodded quickly, he opened the door for his charge, and then got in.

"You can deactivate your holoform, I'm fine with just talking with you as you are." She murmured as they sped down the road.

The man in the driver's seat disappeared, and the radio crackled to life, "What's wrong Lissa?" He asked concernedly.

Lissa sighed and leaned her head against the window. Closing her eyes, she battled inwardly with herself about telling him. "You're probably wondering what happened…" She stated simply, not moving from the glass.

A long pause, then he replied cautiously, "Well, yes I am. But I need you to understand that you don't need to tell me unless you want to. I know it must be hard…" He trailed off, leaving the question in the air.

The memories, the memories of that day that she tried so desperately to push away flooded into her mind. She could see it all as if it happened yesterday, and vividly feel the pain she'd experienced. A lone tear trailed down her scarred cheek, and she made no notion to wipe it away. Metalreaper watched her with concern and sympathy, seeing her like this made him want to know what happened to her even more. He played soft music to try to soothe her. Something that caused her this much pain and grief had to have been a horrible thing.

The broken girl opened her mouth, and closed it several times. It was so _hard_ to talk about, but she knew in her heart that if she did then she would be one step closer to getting better, to getting this weight off her chest and just let it all go.

They drove in silence for awhile, with no particular destination in mind. Lissa for once let the memories come, she took them in stride and let the man's face fill her mind once again. Metalreaper grew more concerned as the minutes passed, and finally he opened a COM link to speak to Ironhide. He didn't know what the weapon's specialist was doing, but this was pretty fragging important.

The link went through, and a gruff voice came on the line, _"What is it?" _

"_It's Lissa." _He replied, the deep worry lacing his voice.

Ironhide's tone grew different then, he almost sounded a little worried himself. _"What happened? Is she alright?"_

"_No sir, I don't think so," _The guardian informed his commanding officer of the situation.

Ironhide sighed, _"I knew I shouldn't have left so quickly. Just drive, let her calm down. There's not much you can to but wait it out. If she wants to tell you about it, she will." _

"_Sir…do you even know what happened to her?" _Metalreaper asked tentatively. If Ironhide didn't even know, then there was a slim chance that she would tell him herself.

"_I know enough, just leave her be. Don't try to get it out of her, got it?"_

His answer sounded like he didn't know the whole story either. Metalreaper's spark sunk in it's chamber. It hurt him to see Lissa like this, although he'd just met her, she'd made an impression on him that no one else had. Someone who could do something like that had to be protected in his optics. _"Yes sir." _He answered reluctantly.

Satisfied with his answer, Ironhide closed the link. He was worried about Lissa, but he had a war to fight. The Decepticon's were on the move again, and N.E.S.T had given him some news that he didn't like. They thought their enemy had human allies.

Metalreaper glanced at the young woman again, and seeing her made him even stronger in the decision he just made.

Lissa opened her eyes as she felt the truck come to an abrupt stop. She sat up and glanced around, "Where are we?" She asked weakly.

"Somewhere I thought you might like."

The holoform solidified in the cab and grinned mischievously at his human companion. Hopping out of the cab, and came around and opened the door for her. She almost laughed when he bowed as she got out, "My lady." He exclaimed grandly. She gave him a little smile and looked around again.

"Okay I bite, where did you bring me?"

Metalreaper's eyes glowed with mirth and motioned for her to follow him.

As far as she knew they were in a forest, all she could see was trees, trees, and more trees. She honestly didn't think that he would hurt her, so she went with it.

They walked in companionable silence through the dense foliage, picking their way through the fallen trees. After a few minutes they came upon an old path. Metalreaper made a sound as if this was what he was looking for, and they followed the overgrown walkway.

Lissa became lost in her thoughts as they hiked, and an perturbed look crossed her face. Metalreaper saw it and fell in step with her. "We're almost there, I would've drove but this is the only way to get there."

His companion nodded minutely, but the faraway look never left her eyes. He didn't press the matter, and hoped that what he was going to show her would cheer her up a bit.

"Oof!" Lissa slammed into something hard and almost fell to the ground. Her guardian caught her with lightning speed and helped her regain her balance. "Sorry." She mumbled sheepishly, seeing that he was the thing she ran into.

The Autobot grinned and chuckled a little, "It's alright, we're here."

She didn't see anything that she hadn't seen on their little nature walk and gave him a confused look. "Um…what am I supposed to see.?"

He laughed heartily, and pulled the trees limbs away that were suppressing their view, "This."

Lissa gasped, and walked out into the sunlight. He had brought her to the ocean.

Tears stung her eyes, it was beautiful, and there was no one else in sight. She wondered how she didn't hear the waves, but figured she was just too deep in thought.

"Wow…" She whispered in awe. It really was beautiful, much of the day had passed, and the sun was just now touching the horizon. The water sparkled like a shining gemstone, and the lazy waves gave the whole place a tranquil air.

She really was starting to wonder when she was going to _stop_ crying today.

Turning to Metalreaper, she gestured to the view. "How did you-where did you find this place?"

He grinned, happy that she liked it just as much as he did, "I spent awhile trekking around the U.S. until N.E.S.T found me. I just happened to be in this area and stumbled across it. What do you think?"

She made a sound of incredulousness, "I think it's completely and irrevocably amazing. Thank you for showing me."

Then she did something that took his breath away, she smiled. This time, it actually reached her eyes, and was completely genuine. If he had ever come across one before, the girl standing before him was one of the most beautiful creatures he'd ever seen in his life. The realization struck him like a ton of bricks, and he couldn't help but grin as she skipped into the water like a child. "I haven't been to the ocean in _years_!" She laughed and threw water into the air. "I never realized how much I've been missing."

Pride swelled up in his spark, and he sat on a nearby rock to watch her.

Suddenly, a noise from the trees caught his attention, and his senses went on high alert. He jumped up and stilled to listen for the noise again. One of the nearby trees rustled, and he could feel a presence very close and advancing fast. He turned and swiftly grabbed Lissa from the water and put her behind him. Whatever it was, he didn't recognize it, it's scent was too confusing.

"Metal, what-"

"Shh." He whispered sharply, and she obeyed.

He tensed as the thing came closer, and wanted to slagging hit himself for going so far away from his alt mode. If it was a Decepticon, they would have to run.

He felt Lissa's fear as she saw a figure in the shadows. He saw it too, and in his split mind tried to find a way to bring his truck form around.

A few tense minutes passed, and all the could be heard was the gentle rolling of the waves. "Show yourself fragger!" Metalreaper barked loudly.

A small chuckle, then the figure came out of the trees.

"Hide?" Lissa exclaimed softly.

The rugged looking holoform glanced at his charge, acknowledging her and crossed his arms. He gave Metalreaper a long, hard look then spoke, "You shouldn't have gone so far from your alternate mode, if I was a real threat, she would be dead right now."

The soldier nodded, "I know, it was a mistake, I just wanted to show her-"

"It was a mistake and I don't care!" Hide barked sternly, "She would be _dead_ and I would've thrown you to the _Pit!_"

The two came towards each other, and Lissa felt their tempers flare.

"Stop!" She cried and wedged herself between them. "Don't fight okay? Yes maybe we shouldn't have gone so far, but I felt pretty low Hide, I _needed_ this. Please don't be angry with him."

Ironhide looked down at the little female for a long moment and groaned. The puppy dog eyes she was making was bound to bring any man to his knees. "Fine." He glared at his soldier, "But if you make another mistake like this, you're done. I will not leave her in danger."

Metalreaper stepped away and gave him a small salute, "I understand sir, I will not let you down."

"Good." He growled, and Lissa and Metalreaper stood there, staring at him. He saw them wondering what they were supposed to do now and waved them away. "Oh do continue, you're already here, no sense in leaving just yet."

Lissa squealed and twirled back to the water, "Thanks Hide!" She called over her shoulder.

Ironhide gave a small smile, but it left as soon as he saw his soldier staring at her.

"Where were you?" He asked, turning to Ironhide.

"Base, Decepticon's were sighted. They were just drones, so I was not needed on the mission. I decided to find you two and give you a little test. You failed, if you were wondering."

His soldier flinched minutely, and Ironhide almost grinned at his discomfort, "I know sir. It won't happen next time."

"Sometimes, there _isn't_ a next time. Protect her with your life, and if you don't, I will be very, _very_ angry."

He saw the real threat there, and knew he probably wouldn't want to get _him _angry. Ironhide packed a punch, and his cannon's were the last thing he wanted pointed on him.

"I have never felt so peaceful in my life." A voice murmured from the water. Human's wouldn't have been able to pick up on her words, but the two Cybertronians could. They focused their attention on Lissa, she was just standing there, eyes closed, the waves lapping at her feet.

A soft look passed both of the mech's faces, and they watched her as she turned to them. She opened her eyes, and her face turned grave, "I think…I think it's time to tell you how I got these scars…"

**A/N****: I. Am. On. A. ROLL! This is a long one, and there's a bit of a Joker reference in the last sentence for all of you who have seen the movies. ;) What she means is the scars she has inside and outside. Do I know if this will be a love triangle? Nope! I don't really…plan what I write, it just happens I guess. But don't worry, this'll stay IronhidexLissa all the way, I might just add something of that sort to make things interesting. *Smiley* Sam showed his soft side today! It's a miracle I know! Anyways, Merry Christmas all! Don't forget to review!**

**As always, **

**~Court**


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